After Week Nine, when the Patriots lost to the New York Giants to fall to 5-3, turnovers were a hot topic. The Pats committed four turnovers in that Giants game — two Tom Brady interceptions and lost fumbles by Brady and Julian Edelman.

The interceptions raised Brady’s total for the season to 10, 6 more than he had in his spectacular 2010 season.

But since that Giants game, the Patriots have won four straight. During that stretch, Brady has not thrown an interception.

“He’s as hard on himself about interceptions or strip sacks and things like that as I could be hard on him,” said offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in a conference call Tuesday. “He’s done a really good job in the drill work, in practice of just reminding himself, me reminding him, the backup quarterbacks reminding him, ‘Hey, look take care of the ball,’ ‘Hey, this was a good throw,’ ‘This was a nice job of taking care of the ball in the pocket.’ I think over the last four weeks, he’s really improved.”

He’s not alone. In fact, during the four-game winning streak, no Patriots ball carrier has turned over the ball –– the only lost fumble the Patriots have had was a strip-sack of Brady during the Monday night game against the Chiefs.

“That’s again, the way that we coach that, number one is that we emphasize it,” O’Brien said. “One of the keys to every game is always going to be to not turn the ball over and to take care of the football and ball security. If you’re a ball carrier and you’re handling the ball, then you’re handling the lifeline of the team. We emphasize it.”

For the season, the Patriots have a plus-eight turnover differential. Only San Francisco, Green Bay and Houston — all division-leading teams — are better. The Patriots led the NFL by a wide margin in that category last season.

Coaching history

The Patriots and Redskins don’t have much of a history together, but the same can’t be said about the teams’ head coaches, Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan.

During his tenure in Denver, Shanahan had as much success as anyone against Belichick. His Broncos were 5-3, including playoffs, against Belichick’s Pats.

But the relationship goes back even further, when Shanahan and Belichick were assistants on two of the NFC powerhouses of the 1980s.

“I think Mike liked me because he used to like to beat up on us all the time,” Belichick said Tuesday. “He was — Denver, they got us a few times. Mike was out in San Francisco when I was with the Giants, so we’ve always competed against each other; we’ve never been on the same staff.

“I’ve gotten to know Mike a little bit off the field, league meetings and stuff like that. He’s a great competitor, I have great respect for what he’s done, all the championships and all the outstanding teams he has had and coached. I’d say most of our stuff has been off the field.”

Clincher near?

The Patriots might just be a few days away from their ninth division title in the last 11 years.

According to playoff scenarios sent out Tuesday by the NFL, the Patriots clinch the division with a victory over Washington on Sunday and a New York Jets loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

That would guarantee New England at least a tie atop the division, and the Pats own the tie-breaker courtesy of their season sweep of the Jets. Since Brady became quarterback in 2001, the Pats have won the AFC East every season except 2002, and 2008 (when Brady suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the season).

In the 41-year history of the franchise before 2001, the Pats won just five division titles.

Jags snag Price

Taylor Price, the former third-round draft pick who was released by the Patriots on Saturday, has been picked up off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars were reportedly one of four teams that had placed claims on Price, a second-year man out of Ohio University. The others were the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Price appeared in just four games in his Patriot career. He made three catches in last year’s regular-season finale against Miami; he had not made a catch in three games this year.

Decision delayed

The league will decide Wednesday whether the Patriots-Broncos game scheduled for Dec. 18 will be played at 4:15 as originally scheduled, or will be moved to 8:20 p.m.

The deadline for an NFL decision had been Tuesday at midnight.

“Due to NFL Committee Meetings in New York today, the Week 15 flexible schedule announcement will be released tomorrow,” the league stated Tuesday. “All of the clubs under consideration to have Week 15 games flexed have informed our office that they are interested in the strongest schedule for our fans and network partners.”

According to reports, both CBS and NBC are eager for the rights to the game pitting the Pats against Tim Tebow’s Broncos.

The previously scheduled Sunday night football game would feature the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens.

mmcdermo@providencejournal.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) – They have not won a game in a month, but the New York Giants hope their latest loss can fuel a last, desperate push to reach the playoffs.

Coming off a humiliating 49-24 walloping by the New Orleans Saints, the Giants battled the unbeaten Green Bay Packers (12-0) to the last gasp Sunday, falling 38-35 on a field goal kicked with no time left on the clock.

That dropped the Giants to 6-6 for the season with four games left, but the close fight showed the New Yorkers they could at least match it with the best of the NFL.

The Giants must reverse their fortunes starting Sunday night in Dallas against the Cowboys (7-5), who lead them in the NFC East by one game, or forget about the postseason.

No problem, according to one Giants defensive back Antrel Rolle.

“Without a doubt, we will be in that postseason,” he told WFAN radio.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning would not go so far as to guarantee a playoff berth, but both hoped the intensity the club showed would carry over.

“We have four games to go and three of them in our division,” Coughlin said.

“We have to regroup and I think this brings us together even tighter than we have ever been before as a team.

“It can be a positive if you play the way that we played, and if you give the effort that we gave and if you play with the intensity that we played with. Those are the kind of emotional things that bind you together.”

This week’s game is the first of two against the Cowboys. They also meet in the last game of the season on New Year’s Day. In between, the Giants play Washington and the New York Jets. A sweep of the final four games would guarantee the NFC East title for the Giants.

Manning said there was a lot the players could take away from their hard-fought loss.

“They’re playing the best football and we had them tied up with 58 seconds (left),” said Manning, who threw three touchdown passes. “I think we have to try to take something from this game, take some momentum into these next games.”

SPRINGBOARD LOSS

The Giants have used a defeat against an unbeaten team as a springboard before.

In the final game of the 2007 season, New York had already clinched a wildcard berth with no chance to improve their playoff status against the 15-0 New England Patriots.

Yet rather than rest some banged-up regulars, the Giants dedicated themselves to trying to stop the Pats from going undefeated, and fought fiercely before falling by the same 38-35 score they lost to the Packers.

Giving the Patriots such a fight seemed to boost the New Yorkers’ confidence.

New York went on to playoff road wins over Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay to reach the Super Bowl against the Patriots. The Giants beat them 17-14 to deprive New England of a perfect season and claim the NFL title for themselves.

“That game we lost, but I think everybody felt good about the way we played and had a little momentum going into the playoffs,” Manning said in recalling the 2007 title season.

“Obviously it’s going to be a similar feel with these next four games. They’re all going to be playoff-style games where we need to win.”

Coughlin hoped for the same bounce-back effect.

“We have four games to go and every one of these games is critical to our future,” he said. “We will battle. We will battle. We have to find a way to win.”

Manning said the urgency did not add pressure.

“That’s playoff atmosphere. You want to play in must-win games,” explained Manning. “We know if we win, then we’re in the playoffs. That’s exciting. It starts this week.”

(Editing by Julian Linden)

The New York Giants are in the midst of a losing streak and still have plenty of tough games left. The Giants face the Green Bay Packers on December 4. They also have a couple of games against the Dallas Cowboys, the team currently sitting one game in front of them in the NFC East standings. At 6-5, the Giants don’t have a lot of room for error if they want to reach the playoffs and save Tom Coughlin’s job. Unfortunately, the Giants will have to try and win games without Osi Umenyiora(notes) again. The defensive end is slated to miss at least two weeks with a sprained ankle.

Umenyiora went down early during the 49-24 loss his team suffered against the New Orleans Saints. He did not return in the second half. There is a possibility that Umenyiora could miss up to a month because of the bad sprain. However, the hope is that he can return to the field on December 18 when the Giants face the Washington Redskins. By then, the season could be lost for New York. Umenyiora has already missed three games this season. He didn’t play the first three games because of a knee issue. These injuries are unrelated and that is good for his long term prognosis. But any time a player has multiple injuries in a season, a team and its fans have to be concerned.

Despite missing three starts, Umenyiora has had a pretty solid season. He has seven sacks and has helped the defensive line perform at a pretty decent level for much of the season. However, his loss could be damaging for the Giants. New York still has Jason Peirre-Paul, a sack machine that has thrived while filling in for several players on the defensive line. However, the loss of Umenyiora severely drains the depth on the defense. The Giants are coming off of one of the worst defensive performance in recent memory. Without Umenyiora, it is hard to imagine things looking better against the Green Bay Packers.

New York is fortunate to be 6-5 considering all of the injuries. Key players on both sides of the ball have really hurt the Giants. That has been evident during this three game slide. The Giants are in the midst of the toughest part of their schedule. This isn’t the ideal time to lose a player like Umenyiora.

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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.

Note: The opinions expressed here are my takes on each player’s individual matchup. As always, use your best judgment and conduct your own research on who to start or bench each week. You know your individual team and/or league situation better than anyone else.

Eli Manning(notes), QB

Averaging 18.10 fantasy points per game, Manning has consistently performed over the course of the season. He had a rough outing last week against the Philadelphia Eagles but looks to rebound this week against the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans is allowing 17.05 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season leading me to believe he will have a performance close to his average this week.

Brandon Jacobs(notes), RB

With the injury to Ahmad Bradshaw(notes), Jacobs will start for the New York Giants this week. He had an abysmal 3.20 fantasy point performance last week. The offensive line was partially to blame last week and even though the Saints are giving up 20.40 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, that same offensive line has me concerned about his performance this week. I would strongly consider other options this week.

Victor Cruz(notes), WR

Averaging 13.10 fantasy points per game, Cruz has been a welcome surprise in fantasy football this season. He had a spectacular 18.80 fantasy point performance last week against the Eagles and has a very favorable matchup this week against the Saints. New Orleans is allowing 22.84 fantasy points per game to wide receivers giving me confidence he will have a game near or better than his average this week.

Mario Manningham(notes), WR

While Manningham stated that he would be ready for action for Monday’s game against the Saints, he missed practice again on Saturday calling into question if he will indeed be ready to go. The safest bet in this situation is to act as if he is out and seek other options before Sunday’s players become unavailable.

Jake Ballard(notes), TE

Ballard is another mediocre fantasy tight end currently nursing an elbow injury. While the Saints are allowing 7.21 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season, Ballard’s history of performance does not warrant a look unless desperate. I would recommend exploring other options this week.

Lawrence Tynes(notes), K

Much like TE Ballard, Tynes is a mediocre fantasy kicker who puts up average to below average fantasy point totals each week. Averaging 5.70 fantasy points per game, there are better options available and nothing about this week’s matchup is giving me extra confidence he will have a big performance this week.

Defense

Averaging 8.50 fantasy points per game, the Giant’s team defense is solid and reliable. They do face a difficult matchup this week against the Saints who are allowing only 5.20 fantasy points per game to team defense. I anticipate a game more than the Saints are allowing but less than their average this week.

Sources:

All data provided by Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Paul Rados is an avid fantasy football participant and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Whether a two-game skid and a tough upcoming schedule could combine to spell doom for the New York Giants is a question Eli Manning sees little point in addressing right now.

“It’s not about who our next opponent is or what the standings are in the division,” Manning said as the Giants (6-4) prepared for their matchup with the Saints (7-3) in New Orleans on Monday night.

“When you start looking ahead or trying to calculate other teams that teams in our division are playing, and wins and losses, or how many games you have to win to get in the playoffs, that’s when you lose focus.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin is in no mood to dwell on whether the Giants’ season is on the brink, either.

“It’s interesting that after a couple of seven-point losses we are going to talk about that,” Coughlin said this week when asked about the potential for a late-season swoon. “It’s difficult for me to understand why there’s nothing more prevalent to talk about than that.”

While consecutive close loses to San Francisco and Philadelphia could hardly be considered shocking, the timing of New York’s slide could not be much worse.

The Dallas Cowboys’ recent surge has vaulted them to a half-game lead in the NFC East, meaning the Giants must now try to keep pace by winning in New Orleans, where the Saints are 4-0 this season.

If the Giants’ difficulties persist in the Big Easy, they’ll face the prospect of a four-game losing streak when they host unbeaten Green Bay the following week.

New Orleans also has tough games coming up, but that’s a more comfortable topic of discussion for the Saints, who’ve won two straight and enter Week 12 with a one-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South.

Following its meeting with a desperate Giants squad that only a few weeks ago played well enough to knock off the Patriots in New England, New Orleans will then host Detroit.

“We have a couple of conference games coming up that could affect playoff positioning, which I know we aspire to be there, as do the two teams we’re playing coming up,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “It’s very much strategic. These games mean that much more because of that.”

If the Giants want to reverse their fortunes, they’ll likely have to find a way to slow down Brees, whose 3,326 yards passing led the league through last week’s games and represented the most yards passing through 10 games in NFL history.

Coughlin hopes New York can manage that with pressure from a defensive line as formidable as any in the league. Defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora have combined for 17 1/2 sacks.

“You have to have a little bit of the approach that the Rams used,” Coughlin said, referring to the six-sack performance of St. Louis’ defense in a shocking upset of the Saints in Week 8. “They played very well against New Orleans and seemed to get to the quarterback.”

Brees figures he’ll have to get rid of the ball as quickly and accurately as he has all season.

“What I see is a defense that does a great job of getting after the quarterback, that does a great job taking the ball away and taking advantage of those opportunities when they have it,” Brees said. “You have to play extremely smart against them. You can’t be one dimensional. You have to be able to run the ball as well as throw it.”

New Orleans has demonstrated this season that it can run the ball well, though not always consistently. The Saints do have their top four running backs — Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory — all healthy coming out of their bye week, though it remains to be seen whether all four will be active.

“Running the football has been a point of emphasis,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Certainly we have a lot of confidence in Drew Brees in the pocket and outside of the pocket. I also know and recognize the ally that a running attack provides the quarterback and the importance of that.”

The Saints’ running game ranks in the top half of the league, 13th overall.

Surprisingly, the Giants, who’ve run the ball well in recent seasons, rank second-to-last in rushing with 83.2 yards per game. Still, Payton warned it would be foolish to underestimate New York’s ground game.

“Although their statistics haven’t been as strong as in years past, I don’t think their commitment has changed at all,” Payton said. “I would expect that to be something they’ll work very hard at and try to correct.”

That’s not the only thing the Giants want to fix.

Defensive back Antrel Rolle said his team needs to summon and sustain more emotion on the field. That, he said, might have made the difference in their last loss to the Eagles, and could be vital in New Orleans.

“We are too calm out there and football is not a game for you to be calm,” Rolle said. “It is a game of attitude. It is a game of emotion.”

It’s not hard to pinpoint the key matchup in Monday night’s game between the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants.

Both teams have made a strong emphasis this week on the battle between the Saints’ offensive line and the Giants’ defensive line, the two units that likely will determine both teams’ fates for the remainder of the season.

“Those one-on-one battles will be as challenging, if not more challenging, than any game we’ve played to date,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said of New York’s deep group of pass rushers, who arguably generate more pressure with their front four than any other team in the league.

“It’s always important to set the tone up front, but especially with these guys,” Saints guard Jahri Evans said. “Usually, if you allow a team to get pressure with just their front four guys, it’s going to be a long day.”

Conversely, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck knows the same will be true if they don’t get pressure up front against Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

“If you allow Drew Brees the opportunity to sit back there and go through his progressions, it’s going to be a long night,” Tuck told the New York media this week.

That New York media microscope has been closing in on the Giants’ defensive line this week. Although the Giants entered the week tied for the NFL lead with 31 sacks, 29 of which have come from their linemen or hybrid rusher Mathias Kiwanuka, they had a sluggish performance up front in last week’s 17-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants (6-4) only got one hit on Eagles quarterback Vince Young. And now they have just five sacks in the past three games.

That latest performance led to some vocal frustration this week. Defensive tackle Chris Canty described the Giants’ lack of intensity against the Eagles as “embarrassing.” And there is no doubt the guys up front will be determined to change their fortunes Monday night.

“You know they’re going to heat it up this week, because they’re going to take a lot of grief,” ESPN “Monday Night Football” analyst Ron Jaworski said.

That emotion is similar to how the Saints’ offensive linemen felt last month after they had maybe their worst performance in the Payton era during a lackluster loss at St. Louis. The Rams were able to generate consistent pressure with just their front four, while also shutting down the Saints’ running game.

Since then, the Saints’ offensive line has been determined not to let that happen again, as their standout performances against Tampa Bay and Atlanta attested. Brees was sacked six times at St. Louis, but he hasn’t been sacked in the past two games as the Saints have gone to 7-3.

“With all the sacks we gave up in that game, we feel like we can’t give up any more for the rest of the season,” said guard Carl Nicks, who said the Saints’ linemen feel like it’s their responsibility to set the tone.

“It’s absolutely up to the offensive line,” Nicks said. “Games are won in the trenches.”

Nicks admitted, however, that they’ll need some help Monday night against the Giants’ front four, with extra chip blocks from tight ends, tailbacks and fullbacks, as well as a successful running game to keep the defense from rushing the passer full force.

The Giants’ line is deep and versatile. They usually line up four defensive ends on passing downs, and even then they mix and match players.

Second-year end Jason Pierre-Paul has emerged as a dynamic pass rusher. He has 10.5 sacks as a part-time player, filling in as a starter for veterans Tuck and Osi Umenyiora while they battled earlier injuries.

Umenyiora, a two-time Pro Bowler, is back in prime form after having minor knee surgery late in the summer. He has seven sacks. Kiwanuka has 3.5 sacks from the linebacker, end and tackle positions. End Dave Tollefson has three sacks. Tuck has just two sacks while battling injuries and inconsistency.

All of them are a handful, though. Several Saints described the Giants’ pass rushers as “long,” “long-armed” and “strong” athletes who use their size and athleticism as well as their speed.

“I think they’re unique in the kind of guys that they have there,” Saints right tackle Zach Strief said. “They play with their hands well. And they don’t necessarily rush like a lot of teams do. Not just a John Abraham-type that’s going to try to beat you off the ball every snap. They play within the system, and they read and react, which is difficult because it’s unusual for us.”

The Saints handled that matchup quite well in 2009, when they allowed zero sacks while torching the Giants with their passing for a 48-27 rout. They know a repeat performance won’t be easy.

“I think they’re one of the most-talented groups in the NFL,” Brees said of the Giants’ defensive line. “They’re a pretty diverse group, extremely athletic, big, physical. This will be our toughest test of the year, for sure.”

The feeling is mutual.

•••••••

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

NEW ORLEANS – Whether a two-game skid and a tough upcoming schedule could combine to spell doom for the New York Giants is a question Eli Manning sees little point in addressing right now.

“It’s not about who our next opponent is or what the standings are in the division,” Manning said as the Giants (6-4) prepared for their matchup with the Saints (7-3) in New Orleans on Monday night.

“When you start looking ahead or trying to calculate other teams that teams in our division are playing, and wins and losses, or how many games you have to win to get in the playoffs, that’s when you lose focus.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin is in no mood to dwell on whether the Giants’ season is on the brink, either.

“It’s interesting that after a couple of seven-point losses we are going to talk about that,” Coughlin said this week when asked about the potential for a late-season swoon. “It’s difficult for me to understand why there’s nothing more prevalent to talk about than that.”

While consecutive close loses to San Francisco and Philadelphia could hardly be considered shocking, the timing of New York’s slide could not be much worse.

The Dallas Cowboys’ recent surge has vaulted them to a half-game lead in the NFC East, meaning the Giants must now try to keep pace by winning in New Orleans, where the Saints are 4-0 this season.

If the Giants’ difficulties persist in the Big Easy, they’ll face the prospect of a four-game losing streak when they host unbeaten Green Bay the following week.

New Orleans also has tough games coming up, but that’s a more comfortable topic of discussion for the Saints, who’ve won two straight and enter Week 12 with a one-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South.

Following its meeting with a desperate Giants squad that only a few weeks ago played well enough to knock off the Patriots in New England, New Orleans will then host Detroit.

“We have a couple of conference games coming up that could affect playoff positioning, which I know we aspire to be there, as do the two teams we’re playing coming up,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “It’s very much strategic. These games mean that much more because of that.”

If the Giants want to reverse their fortunes, they’ll likely have to find a way to slow down Brees, whose 3,326 yards passing led the league through last week’s games and represented the most yards passing through 10 games in NFL history.

Coughlin hopes New York can manage that with pressure from a defensive line as formidable as any in the league. Defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora have combined for 17 1/2 sacks.

“You have to have a little bit of the approach that the Rams used,” Coughlin said, referring to the six-sack performance of St. Louis’ defence in a shocking upset of the Saints in Week 8. “They played very well against New Orleans and seemed to get to the quarterback.”

Brees figures he’ll have to get rid of the ball as quickly and accurately as he has all season.

“What I see is a defence that does a great job of getting after the quarterback, that does a great job taking the ball away and taking advantage of those opportunities when they have it,” Brees said. “You have to play extremely smart against them. You can’t be one dimensional. You have to be able to run the ball as well as throw it.”

New Orleans has demonstrated this season that it can run the ball well, though not always consistently. The Saints do have their top four running backs — Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory — all healthy coming out of their bye week, though it remains to be seen whether all four will be active.

“Running the football has been a point of emphasis,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Certainly we have a lot of confidence in Drew Brees in the pocket and outside of the pocket. I also know and recognize the ally that a running attack provides the quarterback and the importance of that.”

The Saints’ running game ranks in the top half of the league, 13th overall.

Surprisingly, the Giants, who’ve run the ball well in recent seasons, rank second-to-last in rushing with 83.2 yards per game. Still, Payton warned it would be foolish to underestimate New York’s ground game.

“Although their statistics haven’t been as strong as in years past, I don’t think their commitment has changed at all,” Payton said. “I would expect that to be something they’ll work very hard at and try to correct.”

That’s not the only thing the Giants want to fix.

Defensive back Antrel Rolle said his team needs to summon and sustain more emotion on the field. That, he said, might have made the difference in their last loss to the Eagles, and could be vital in New Orleans.

“We are too calm out there and football is not a game for you to be calm,” Rolle said. “It is a game of attitude. It is a game of emotion.”

Monday night’s marquee attraction features two of the NFC’s preseason prognostication darlings, only one of which can be happy about the way they’re playing. The New York Giants, losers of two consecutive games, head in to face the New Orleans Saints, coming off a bye week and sitting atop the NFC South with a 7-3 record.

Although New York is tied for the lead in the NFC East at 6-4, the Giants are somewhat restless, given consecutive defeats against the surprisingly stout 49ers and the puzzling Eagles.

Make no mistake: The Giants likely won’t be looking past New Orleans. New York faces the undefeated Green Bay Packers next week, while quarterback Eli Manning tries to fend off the New York media’s ceaseless questions about what’s wrong with the Giants.

Manning, a New Orleans native, has never beaten his hometown team. He has lost two games to the Saints, one at home in 2006 and the last one here in 2009.

GIANTS OFFENSE

The relationship Manning has in New York is much the same as it was for his father, Archie, in New Orleans — alternately revered and reviled, depending upon individual and collective weekly performances. One week, Eli is the same beloved quarterback who led the Giants to a Super Bowl championship. The next, he’s the one who’s criticized for losing to an underachieving Philadelphia team.

This season, Manning has thrown twice as many touchdowns (18) as interceptions (nine) and has New York’s passing offense ranked fifth in the NFL at 281.4 yards per game.

But the Giants’ running attack has provided no help and less balance. New York ranks 31st in the NFL in rushing offense, accumulating only 83.2 yards per game, with nine touchdowns.

Leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw (440 yards, five touchdowns, 4.0 per-carry average) is out with a foot injury, leaving the heavy lifting for backup Brandon Jacobs, who has rushed for 274 yards on 90 carries, a 3-yard average, and three scores.

Bradshaw has missed the past three games, and likely will not return Monday night, despite Coach Tom Coughlin’s calling the Giants’ running attack “pathetic” after the 17-10 loss last Sunday night to the Eagles.

Manning has been sacked 19 times, and his offensive line had difficulty with the aggressive Eagles defense, which sacked him three times.

Receiver Victor Cruz has been Manning’s favored target this season, catching 46 passes for 800 yards, a 17.5 yards-per-catch average, and five touchdowns. Fourteen of Cruz’s receptions have gone for 20 yards or more, and he has accumulated 251 yards after catches.

GIANTS DEFENSE

Once the pride and backbone during the Giants’ glory years, this season New York’s defense is hovering in the bottom third of the league.

The Giants have the 21st-ranked defense in the NFL, 18th against the pass (allowing 239.1 yards per game) and 21st against the run (123 yards per game, a 4.5 per-carry average).

The scoring distribution is nearly identical — 12 touchdown passes allowed, 10 rushing scores.

New York has allowed 228 points this season, the same number as the Saints.

Bookend defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul (team-leading 10 sacks) and Osi Umenyiora (seven sacks) lead the charge up front, and the duo certainly can be a handful for an opposing offensive line. Umenyiora has been slowed by a knee injury, but was active against the Eagles, getting three tackles.

Throw in hard-rushing linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, and the Giants, on paper at least, look to be a formidable challenge.

Yet, New York’s pass defense has been sporadic at best.

Although Eagles reserve quarterback Vince Young was intercepted three times last week, the Giants allowed Young to throw for 258 yards. This season, the New York pass defense has given up 36 completions of 20 yards or more, and a 60-plus yarder against the Eagles was obliterated by a taunting penalty on Philly receiver DeSean Jackson.

Former LSU cornerback Corey Webster has four interceptions for the Giants, along with cornerback Aaron Ross, who could be slowed this week by a left quadriceps contusion. But Webster is dangerous when he has possession of the football, with 55 return yards on his picks.

GIANTS SPECIAL TEAMS

From inside the 50-yard line, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes is consistent. He has two misses in 12 attempts this season, one inside the 39, the other from beyond 50, and he has converted all 26 extra points.

Punter Steve Weatherford is familiar to Saints fans, having kicked here during the team’s first march to the NFC title game in 2006 and through 2008. Weatherford’s net average this season is 40.1 yards, against a 46.7 gross, and 16 of his 55 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line.

Kick returner Devin Thomas has turned into an exciting specialist, running back 21 kicks, with a long of 40 yards, and Da’Rel Scott has contributed five returns for a 22.8 average.

Ross is the primary punt returner, with 13 for 100 yards. He has made 10 fair catches. New York’s punt-return defense, however, has allowed opponents 10 yards per return, including a long of 51 yards, and the kickoff-coverage team is giving up 23.2 yards per return on 27 run-backs.

Giants special teams have not allowed a touchdown this season.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Oct. 18, 2009, Superdome

The Saints put the game away by scoring 34 first-half points, then added 14 more in the second half for a relatively easy victory.

Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns and controlled the clock for 36:07. New Orleans piled up 493 yards total offense, as running back Pierre Thomas pitched in 72 rushing yards and Mike Bell and Reggie Bush each pushed across touchdowns.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The feeling of euphoria and invincibility the New York Giants had after beating the New England Patriots two weeks ago is gone. Long gone.

It’s been replaced by disappointment, anger and frustration in the wake of consecutive losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles that has wiped out their two-game lead in the NFC East.

The slump has left many wondering whether the Giants (6-4) are heading for another second-half swoon.

The loss on the road to the Niners (9-1) was understandable.

The one to the Eagles (4-6) really upset Tom Coughlin’s team, and it wasn’t merely the loss. It was the way they lost. The Eagles were not only more physical, they showed a willingness to do anything to win, and New York failed to respond in falling into a tie for first place with Dallas.

Veteran Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty showed his frustration talking about the game. His voice was loud and his words were so filled with conviction, his eyes welled with tears.

“It was an opportunity lost, an opportunity to put that team behind us,” Canty said. “It was an opportunity to secure first place in our division, at home, in front of our fans. It was a great atmosphere. You couldn’t ask for a better evening to play football. We just went out there and didn’t executive. We didn’t match their intensity. We got punched in the mouth and we didn’t do anything about it.”

The Eagles more than punched the Giants in the mouth. They shoved it in their faces in ways that left several veterans still irked on Monday.

Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson started the indignities by flipping the ball to Giants defensive co-ordinator Perry Fewell after a 50-yard catch early in the quarter. He was flagged for taunting.

Near the end of the quarter, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins blindsided running back D.J. Ware at the end of the 10-yard run causing a concussion.

The play that really had the Giants still fuming was defensive tackle Trevor Laws’ hit on quarterback Eli Manning after an interception.

While guard Chris Snee went after Laws, Giants safety Antrel Rolle said the team really failed to answer.

“I don’t like the way we responded to it,” Rolle said. “At the end of the day, you play within the lines, you play within the rules, but you don’t take (anything) from nobody at the end of the day. And that’s my attitude. You don’t take (anything) from anybody and last night I felt like we took a little bit.

“Like I said, man, it’s, I don’t know what’s going to change and I don’t know how it’s going to change, but in order for us to be where we want to go, things are definitely going to have to change.”

Canty said the Giants’ failure to respond was embarrassing.

“That can’t happen,” he said. “We have to do something. We just can’t do nothing. The result is what happened last night when you do nothing.”

Defensive captain Justin Tuck said the defensive players spoke candidly about their play Monday after opening the second half of the season with two losses.

“We have to figure it out now because you talk about second-half collapses, if we get down to the Saints, it could be an historical second-half collapse.”

The Giants have been dismal in the second halves in recent years. New York started 5-0 in 2009 and finished 8-8. It also opened last season with a 6-2 mark and missed the playoffs with a 10-6 record, losing two of the final three games.

With six games left in the regular season, the Giants need to get things straightened out soon. The upcoming schedule is not going to help. They will be at New Orleans (7-3) on Monday night and then return home for a Dec. 4 meeting against the undefeated Green Bay Packers (10-0).

“Everything we wanted to do at the start of the season is right in front of us,” Canty said. “Everything we wanted to do, we still have the opportunity to do. We control our own destiny.”

Canty then swallowed hard, adding that he feels this is a team that has a shot to do something special. It just has to go out and do it.

“It’s put up or shut up,” Rolle said. “At the end of the day, I am not trying to be sitting at home come the first week of January, watching these other teams that I know are not better than us go on. We’re a great team. We know we’re a great team. We have to go out there and prove it,”

By
Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 9:46 AM on 21st November 2011

The Philadelphia Eagles cut down division rivals the New York Giants 17-10 Sunday to leave the race for play-off places in the NFC East division wide open.

The Eagles, playing without starting quarterback Michael Vick who broke two ribs a week ago, played ferocious defence and back-up signal caller Vince Young directed an 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter for the upset victory.

The Giants fell to 6-4, leaving them tied with the Dallas Cowboys, who went to overtime to beat the Washington Redskins, at the top of the NFC East standings but with a tough schedule ahead.

Running man: Steve Smith leaves Mathias Kiwanuka behind to score a touchdown for Philadelphia

Philadelphia pulled off a role reversal with the Giants, who five times this season had overcome fourth-quarter deficits to win.

The Eagles, who squandered fourth-quarter leads five times this season, this time finished strong to improve to 4-6 and remain third in the division.

‘It’s happened to us so many times,’ Philadelphia coach Andy Reid told reporters about fourth-quarter failures.

‘We were able to flop one around this time.’

Giants coach Tom Coughlin had a different take, however.

‘It was as pathetic as it can get, it was a very poor performance,’ Coughlin said. ‘I’m really disappointed.’

‘I know our offensive line was completely outplayed by the front eight of Philadelphia.’

New York threatened to send the game to overtime when they reached Philadelphia’s 21-yard line with one minute and 25 seconds left on the clock after a 47-yard pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz.

Standing tall: Victor Cruz catches a 24-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning for the Giants

But defensive end Jason Babin then stripped the ball from Manning and it was recovered by Derek Landri to end the threat.

The Eagles led 10-3 at the break with help from two big plays from wide receiver DeSean Jackson, a 32-yard catch that led to a field goal, and a 51-yard punt return to set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Young to former Giant Steve Smith.

Philadelphia carried that lead into the fourth quarter, when the offenses got into gear.

The Giants threatened another comeback by tying the game 10-10 in the last quarter on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Cruz, who did his signature samba dance in the end zone.

But Philadelphia took the ensuing kick-off and marched 80 yards, converting six third-down plays and using nearly nine minutes to retake the lead on Young’s eight-yard touchdown pass from Young to Riley Cooper.

Victory dance: DeSean Jackson (L) and Riley Cooper (R) celebrate after Cooper’s touchdown for the Eagles

Young has struggled with injuries himself this season and had thrown only one pass for the Eagles and that resulted in an interception.

The former Tennessee Titans quarterback, who joined Philadelphia before the season, showed his rust as he was intercepted three times. But Young got better as the game went on, finishing 23-of-36 for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

And with the game on the line, he cooly directed the Eagles the length of the field for the winning score.

‘I just go out and play ball. If I have a mistake I just tell the guys to get ready for the next series,’ said Young.

‘This was definitely a big win for us.’

It was the second successive defeat for the Giants, whose schedule only gets tougher in the run home.

Their next two games are against the New Orleans Saints then the Green Bay Packers before they travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys.

49ERS 23 CARDINALS 7

Alex Smith threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and San Francisco forced five turnovers on a soggy day at Candlestick Park.

Smith connected with Kyle Williams and Vernon Davis on the first two drives of the third quarter to help the 49ers pull away for their eighth straight victory.

BEARS 31 CHARGERS 20

Jay Cutler threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears won their fifth straight game.

Chicago (7-3) continued its remarkable turnaround and handed the Chargers their fifth straight loss, their longest slide since an 0-5 start in 2003.

Starring role: Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (R) was influential yet again

FALCONS 23 TITANS 17

Roddy White had seven receptions for a season-high 147 yards and Jonathan Babineaux led an Atlanta defense that held off Tennessee.

The Falcons (6-4) bounced back from an overtime loss to New Orleans, but it wasn’t easy.

COWBOYS 27 REDSKINS 24 OT

At Landover, Dan Bailey kicked a 39-yard field goal nine minutes and 21 seconds into overtime to give Dallas its third straight win.

The Cowboys rallied after allowing a late fourth-quarter touchdown and improved to 6-4, keeping the pressure on the first-place New York Giants in the NFC East.

BROWNS 14 JAGUARS 10

Jacksonville rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s pass into the end zone on the game’s final play was incomplete, allowing the Browns to escape.

Gabbert rifled a three-yard pass high over the middle that went off wide receiver Mike Thomas’ outstretched hands, and the Browns (4-6) celebrated a win they nearly gave away.

Over the line: Wide receiver Joshua Cribbs evades Ashton Youboty to score a crucial touchdown for Cleveland

PACKERS 35 BUCCANEERS 26

Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes as Green Bay survived a scare to remain unbeaten.

With the Packers leading by two points and trying to fend off a rally by Tampa Bay in the fourth quarter, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson for a clinching 40-yard touchdown with two minutes and 55 seconds left in the game – Nelson’s second touchdown catch of the day.

RAIDERS 27 VIKINGS 21

Carson Palmer threw for 164 yards and a touchdown as Oakland capitalized on several mistakes by Minnesota.

Michael Bush rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (6-4).

DOLPHINS 35 BILLS 8

The Dolphins set up two touchdowns with interceptions and Matt Moore threw for three scores.

After losing their first seven games, the Dolphins (3-7) have three consecutive victories for the first time since 2008, winning by a combined score of 86-20.

Hands on: Charles Clay takes the catch for Miami

LIONS 49 PANTHERS 35

Matthew Stafford’s fifth touchdown pass of the game, a seven-yarder to Brandon Pettigrew with two minutes and 32 seconds left, completed another big rally.

Detroit (7-3) became the first NFL team since at least 1950 to win three games in a season after trailing by at least 17 points.

SEAHAWKS 24 RAMS 7

Sidney Rice caught a touchdown pass and drew a pass interference that led to a field goal for Seattle.

Chris Clemons had three of Seattle’s five sacks on Sam Bradford, and he also forced the Rams quarterback to fumble twice, both leading to touchdowns.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — DeSean Jackson‘s near replay of his winning punt return of last season helped the undermanned Philadelphia Eagles take a 10-3 halftime lead over the New York Giants on Sunday night.

Jackson went 65 yards with a punt runback last December on the final play of the game, lifting the Eagles to a victory and, eventually, the NFC East title. This time, he caught Steve Weatherford‘s kick at almost the exact same spot, cut right and sped down the sideline for 51 yards before stepping out of bounds. It was, by far, his longest punt return this season.

One play later, Vince Young hit former Giants receiver Steve Smith in the left flat and he sped into the end zone.

Rookie Alex Henery’s 33-yard field goal accounted for the only other Eagles score in a first half marked by errors by both offenses and some solid defensive pressure from Philadelphia’s front four.

New York got its points as the half ended on Lawrence Tynes’ 48-yard field goal, set up by five pass completions by Eli Manning.

The Eagles were without two key offensive weapons, quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, and it showed. Vick is out with broken ribs suffered in last week’s loss to Arizona, and Maclin has hamstring and shoulder problems, also sustained against the Cardinals.

Then Jackson injured his right knee and left for a short time in the second period. But Jackson was back on the field for Philadelphia after being suspended a week ago for missing a team meeting. He didn’t do much on any of the Giants’ three punts before briefly leaving.

Jackson also had two receptions for 39 yards before returning later in the period. He then caught a 50-yard pass from Young, only to be called for taunting, negating the big gain.

Earlier, his 32-yard reception and LeSean McCoy’s weaving 13-yard run set up Henery’s field goal.

New York started cancer survivor Mark Herzlich, a rookie, at middle linebacker for the injured Michael Boley (hamstring). Herzlich went undrafted out of Boston College, then made the team and has appeared only on special teams before Sunday night. He made his first tackle early in the second quarter.

In the lineup for the first time this season was Giants top draft pick cornerback Prince Amukamara, who intercepted a pass midway through the opening quarter. He was badly beaten by Jackson, but Young’s pass was woefully short and Amukamara gathered it in.

But Manning gave it right back, stumbling as he dropped to pass, then throwing directly to linebacker Jamar Chaney. After Chaney returned the ball 14 yards, both sides drew penalties for late hits, with defensive tackle Trevor Laws laying out Manning.

That prompted Giants coach Tom Coughlin to loudly berate the officials. Manning was fine.

Philly sacked Manning twice in the half.

The Philadelphia Eagles have ruled out quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin for Sunday night’s game against the New York Giants, the team announced Saturday.

Vick was not expected to play and was listed as questionable on the team’s Friday injury report because of two broken ribs. Maclin, who missed his third consecutive practice on Friday, was also listed as questionable with shoulder and hamstring injuries.

Vick and Maclin were ruled out after Saturday’s walkthrough and did not travel with the team.

Vick didn’t practice this week because he broke his two lower ribs on the second play of the Eagles’ 21-17 loss to Arizona in Week 10. He got up slowly after taking a hard hit to the side, but didn’t tell anyone the extent of the injury and played the rest of the game. He was off target most of the game and finished 16 of 34 for 128 yards and two interceptions.

Vince Young will make his first start with the Eagles after working with the first-team offense all week.

Young was 30-17 as a starter and went to two Pro Bowls in five seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He was one of several high-profile players Philadelphia signed after the lockout. So far, though, Young’s only contribution was labeling the Eagles a “Dream Team” at his first news conference at training camp.

Second-year pro Riley Cooper will likely start in Maclin’s place. Cooper doesn’t have any catches this season.

The Eagles desperately need a victory over the first-place Giants to avoid being all-but-mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The defending NFC East champions began this season with Super Bowl aspirations, but have failed to live up to those enormous expectations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report