49-24.

The final score of Monday night’s New York Giants at New Orleans Saints game tells the story. The once unbeatable New York defense was absolutely incapable of stopping Drew Brees and company after the first quarter of play, and the Saints had a double-digit lead during the game’s final 32 minutes. One team on the field of play Monday evening looked like a playoff squad capable of winning a championship. It certainly wasn’t the one sporting the red, white and blue unis.

3 final thoughts on Giants loss at Saints: Blame

Many New York Giants fans I speak with on a weekly basis are guilty of what I call “selective blaming.” For example, they blame head coach Tom Coughlin when the team loses because of a turnover or similar miscue. I can’t help but wonder when fans and/or members of the media will start calling for the head of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Fewell has been badly out-coached and his defense out-played in two of New York’s three consecutive defeats, and the Giants gave up 35 points in under two quarters against the Saints. Yes, the Saints have numerous offensive weapons, but it’s not as if New Orleans has been flawless this season. Brees has been forced into many mistakes this season, turning the ball over 11 total times. The New York pass rush barely found its way into the New Orleans backfield, however, and the team’s front four can only be blamed so much for the loss. Fewell, thought to be the “next big thing” in NFL coaching just two years ago, has hardly impressed during his tenure with the Giants.

3 final thoughts on Giants loss at Saints: Lost in the loss

Giants fans have seen more than a little of “Bad Eli” during the current campaign. Still, Eli Manning is arguably having his best season, and he was again stellar against the Saints. Manning got past both an interception that probably should have, at the very least, been broken up by tight end Jake Ballard and several dropped passes during the first half, keeping New York in the game as best he could until the Saints took a 35-10 lead in the third quarter. With his running game betraying him on a weekly basis, Manning has quietly emerged as one of the league’s most clutch, reliable quarterbacks. There are but a few QBs I would take ahead of Eli Manning heading into this December.

3 final thoughts on Giants loss at Saints: The missing piece

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, currently nursing a broken foot, is quickly becoming the ultimate “don’t know what you got ’till it’s gone” story of the 2011 season. Brandon Jacobs obviously isn’t capable of getting the job done as New York’s number one running back, and the team’s rushing attack is currently ranked last in the league. Ahmad Bradshaw being sidelined is about more than a handful of missed opportunities on offense. The New York offense has been transformed without Bradshaw, and dropped passes and other miscues have resulted in the team’s defense being forced to take the field more often than desired. This results in a tired unit taking the field during the second halves of contests. “Giants football” is a thing of the past without Bradshaw on the field, and New York’s current style of play isn’t one that’s leading to victories.

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Dominated. That’s exactly what the New York Giants were Monday evening, and the team’s once bright playoff hopes are quickly fading away.

The New Orleans Saints crushed the Giants 49-24 on Monday. A full game recap and box score can be found here.

The game changed: When two moments cost the Giants what could have been two game-defining touchdowns. After thwarting the Saints on a fake field goal attempt, New York drove right down the field and into the New Orleans red zone. Eli Manning(notes) looked for tight end Jake Ballard(notes) in the end zone, but Will Herring(notes) made an impressive play to intercept the pass. Manning could have thrown a better ball in that scenario, and Ballard probably should have been a bit more physical in trying to prevent the interception. Herring’s highlight reel play kept the game scoreless, and also provided quite the momentum shift.

The Giants drove down the field again during the second quarter, this time trailing 7-0. A silly false start penalty inside the New Orleans 30-yard line slowed down New York’s drive, however, and the Giants were forced to settle for three points. Failing to find the end zone on those two occasions prevented the Giants from ever obtaining a grip on the game, and the Saints, as any championship contender would, made Big Blue pay.

The game was over: When New York CB Corey Webster(notes) misplayed a Drew Brees(notes) pass near the end of the first half. Webster’s minor misstep allowed Marques Colston(notes) to make a 50-yard jaunt down the left sideline, one that eventually resulted in the Saints’ third touchdown of the game. New Orleans took a 21-3 lead into halftime, and New York would never again get within ten points of the Saints.

Corey Webster was quietly having a Pro Bowl year heading into the month of November. He, along with several other members of the team’s defense, just hasn’t been good enough over the past few weeks. Webster was burned several times in New York’s loss to Philadelphia, and the same happened Monday night. Without a real pass rush, Webster and others have failed to make plays in the secondary, and it’s one big reason the Giants have lost three straight.

Zero: Zero sacks. The Giants finished Monday’s game with zero sacks. Quarterback Drew Brees had all day to find open wide receivers time and time again Monday night, as New York’s often-discussed pass rush was practically non-existent against the Saints. Mathias Kiwanuka(notes), Jason Pierre-Paul(notes) and Osi Umenyiora(notes) found their way into the New Orleans backfield only a few times. Justin Tuck’s(notes) most memorable moments came when the ESPN camera crew focused in on his pregame stretching routine. The Giants are now consistently giving up an average of over 250+ yards per game through the air. As of the writing of this sentence, New York has the worst pass defense in the NFC East.

Overall: Here we go again. The once 6-2 New York Giants have lost three straight heading into December, and the undefeated and seemingly unbeatable Green Bay Packers are coming to town this Sunday. New York’s defense is currently in shambles, and the Giants have the worst rushing attack in all of pro football. The Giants team that took the field Monday night will be lucky to finish the 2011 NFL regular season at 8-8.

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Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes and ran for another to spark the New Orleans Saints to a 49-24 rout of the New York Giants in a game of National Football League contenders.

Brees, the 32-year-old quarterback who led the Saints to a 2010 Super Bowl title, completed 24 of 38 passes for 363 yards, giving him 3,689 passing yards this year, keeping him on pace for the NFL‘s most prolific passing season.

“I’m not allowing it to become a distraction,” Brees said of his record bid. “As long as we win ball games, we invite all those records. You want to put your best performance on the field every week.”

The Saints produced 577 total offensive yards, the second-most ever conceded by the Giants since their 1925 creation — Giants’ defenders surrendered 682 yards in a 1943 game.

“I can’t say enough about our team,” Brees said. “We won tonight in every aspect.”

The Saints (8-3) stayed one game in front of the Atlanta Falcons atop the NFC South division heading into next Sunday’s home game against Detroit (7-4) while New York (6-5) fell one game behind first-place Dallas in the NFC East.

The Giants suffered their third loss in a row ahead of Sunday’s home game against reigning Super Bowl champion Green Bay, this season’s only unbeaten NFL squad at 11-0.

“We can’t sit here and feel sorry for ourselves,” Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. “We have to go back out there and keep swinging.”

Brees threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, marching the Saints on three scoring drives of 80 yards or more, and both ran and threw for touchdowns in the third quarter to frustrate the Giants.

Asked how the Saints could top such a stellar effort, Brees laughed.

“You can always get better,” he said. “There is always something to prove.”

New York quarterback Eli Manning, who lived in New Orleans when his father Archie was the Saints’ quarterback, had his homecoming spoiled by a Saints’ defense that muffled his side’s run attack and kept him under pressure.

“It was a big win for us,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Like any game it wasn’t perfect. But I was pleased with the win.”

Brees opened the scoring eight seconds into the second quarter on a four-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore, flipped a five-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham with 2:21 remaining in the period and tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Moore only 1:46 later to give New Orleans a 21-3 half-time lead.

“He made some fantastic throws,” Payton said. “There’s a confidence players have around him. He has thrown the ball with good rhythm and balance.”

Moore had five catches for 54 yards in the first half while Graham caught four passes for 55 yards. Marques Colston caught three passes for 78 yards, all on the Saints’ final first-half scoring drive, which took only 34 seconds.

The Giants, whose only first-half points came on a 42-yard Lawrence Tynes field goal, trimmed the New Orleans lead to 21-10 on an eight-yard Brandon Jacobs touchdown run only 4:17 into the third quarter.

But the Saints answered with a 73-yard touchdown drive that was capped when Brees ran eight yards for a touchdown after 9:12 of the third quarter. It was the first rushing touchdown of the season for Brees.

Just 95 seconds later, Brees connected with Graham on a 29-yard touchdown pass, boosting the Saints’ lead to 35-10.

Manning cracked the New Orleans defense in the fourth quarter, hooking up with Victor Cruz on touchdowns of 4 and 72 yards.

Brees guided a nine-play, 80-yard drive that ended on a 12-yard Pierre Thomas touchdown run and Mark Ingram added a 35-yard touchdown run with 62 seconds remaining.

Manning completed his first 21 passes of the second half, one shy of the NFL single-game consecutive completions record held by Mark Brunell and David Carr.

For Drew Brees, for Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints, it was an impressive message.

There were two ways of looking at a 49-24 rub-out of the New York Giants that ended with Mark Ingram strolling 35 yards down the sideline into the end zone.

Yes, the now 8-3 Saints oozed the confidence of a ball club prepared to wage holy war in a drive to the upper echelon of post-season play.

Also yes, the manner in which the now 6-5 Giants were soundly whipped was the kind of whipping that not only dampened the team’s playoff hopes, but could also wind up costing Coach Tom Coughlin his job.

The Giants had no answer for Brees, who passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a fifth.

And they had had little answer for a running game that saw Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darreen Sproles rush for 205 yards, making it easy for an on-target quarterback who had 265 yards by halftime.

As for Eli Manning, he could not have done more in a losing cause, throwing for 406 yards and two touchdowns, at one time completing 21 of his 33 completions in a row.

For the most part, it was one of those “move ‘dem chains” football games, that kept both punters pretty much on the sideline, especially in the first half.

It started with Brees taking the Saints 61 yards in 12 play plays for zero points when a field goal fake on fourth-and-11 misses by two yards.

It continued with Manning marching the Giants 72 yards in nine plays, only to watch linebacker Will Herring steal one from tight end Jack Ballard in the end zone.

Didn’t stop there.

Back comes Brees, this time 80 yards in 10 plays, this time with Lance Moore catching a strike for the final four yards.

And back comes Manning, nine plays, 46 yards, to a field goal.

Finally, it’s bam-bam Brees, seven plays, 80 yards, to make it 14-3, then 88 yards, six plays, to make it 21-3 at intermission.

By this time, with 17 completions for 265 yards, Brees was within reach of his best single-game high of 510 yards.

He didn’t need near that much.

Earlier in the season, you figured, when these two teams went at it, they’d be trying to stay as close to the Packers as possible, having arrived at one of those “must win” stages to remain as high as possible in the playoff hunt.

For obvious reasons, you knew the date would be billed as a Brees-Manning showdown, the kind that would bring the two offensive lines into focus.

Banking largely on a four-man rush, the Giants came in leading the league with 31 sacks. The question: Could the Saints give their quarterback adequate protection, the kind Brees did not receive in a painful loss to winless St. Louis?

Yes, they could.

On the flip-side, could the Giants’ offensive front, beaten badly in a loss to the Eagles, do the same for Manning against Gregg Williams’ blitz-happy bunch?

Let’s put it this way. Given the circumstances, the best the Giants had to offer was not enough.

The Saints went in owing their 7-point favoritism in the Morning Line largely because Brees and his cast of receivers were too much for a suspect secondary to handle.

For Giants’ fans with a Big Easy rooting interest, the most welcome “Monday Night Football” sight was Chad Jones, in his Giants jacket, joining his teammates as they ran onto the field.

The LSU safety out of St. Augustine, taken by the Giants in the third round of the 2010 draft, is rehabbing from an automobile accident that crushed his left leg, placing his NFL future in serious doubt. The recovery has been extraordinary for Jones, who, along with Jarett Mitchell, are the only college players who were on teams that won a BCS

championship (football) and NCAA championship (baseball).

Looking on Monday was Chad Jones’ father, Al, captain of the 1978 Tulane football team.

“After all Chad’s been through,” said Al, “watching him run on the field was like winning another championship.”