The New York Giants have a chance to be down both their starting tackles when the New Orleans Saints come marching in. Not something that happens every week, it's something that the New Orleans defensive line needs to take advantage of the opportunity if it presents itself.
Both left tackle Andrew Thomas (groin) and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (calf) returned to practice on Friday after not practicing all week. Only limited and not at full go; both were also listed as questionable for the game tomorrow. If either one of them is unable to go, it would be a huge opportunity for the Saints because at that point they'd have the upper hand in terms of experience.
Both would be having young, inexperienced players fill their shoes, with Thomas' replacement being a sixth-round rookie (J.C. Davis) who's yet to take a snap this season. Eluemunor's backup (Marcus Mbow) is in his second year and has only made three starts in his career. That's something that Saints DEs Chase Young and Carl Granderson are licking their chops at, for sure.
If the Giants are down even one tackle, the entire Saints' pass defense should benefit
So far this season, both of the Saints' defensive ends are on pace for career seasons. Chase Young is on track for 31 tackles, 14 sacks, and seven passes defended, while Carl Granderson is on track for 68 tackles, 11 sacks, and 17 TFLs. That in turn has helped the secondary be the only bright spot on the defense, as they rank 11th in the NFL in terms of pass yards allowed per game.
The Giants' O-line will need to adjust their scheme if even one of them is gone, since no NFL quarterback had more dropbacks than Jameis Winston's 60 last week (though it did go to overtime). If they don't, they risk adding to his interception numbers, who's already thrown three in four starts. It helps that Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry has a good history against the Giants, with him grabbing the first two interceptions of his career when facing them last season.
Speaking of, McKinstry and fellow cornerback Quincy Riley, along with safeties Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon, and Jonas Sanker, should benefit from a weak Giants O-line (Winston has been sacked 11 times through four starts). They are having a strong start in pass defense this season, ranking 11th in pass yards allowed per game (212.2). Furthermore, with Winston's tendency to take shots, they're likely to have their own potential opportunities.
So far this season, the Saints defense has only had one interception. Adding to the takeaway total would only be a benefit to the team and maybe even shoot the team up the rankings in terms of points allowed per game. Currently, they're 31st in that category, with 30.2.
It would also prove beneficial for the offense, who've been having to throw the ball a lot more than they've wanted due to constantly being behind. Ranking 11th in passing yards per game with 240.2, the defense has caused the offense to be Superman nearly every week. Something has to change, because they've lost three straight, and their owner, Gayle Benson, has made it clear she expects better.
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