Tyrann Mathieu continues to dunk on Giants after Week 14 win

The New Orleans Saints may not be challenging for a playoff spot anytime soon, but the vibes have certainly shifting after Dennis Allen's 2-7 start to the season. The firing of Allen and the promotion of special teams coach Darren Rizzi has helped the Saints win three of their last four games.

While they needed a ton of help from a horrific Drew Lock game and a missed field goal to claw away a 14-11 victory against the lowly New York Giants, the Saints are now 5-8 on the season and, at the very least, stand within a non-zero striking distance chance of fighting for the NFC South.

Things got so bad on the offensive end for the Giants that Nabers, a Louisiana native and LSU alum himself, seemingly said the team is "calling plays like I ain't out there", albeit less G-rated than that summation would suggest. Nabers' frustrations with the team have been vented in the public forum before.

Mathieu took the heat off the rookie, claiming that line was one of his many verbal jabs at a Giants offense that was unable to respond in kind for most of the game.

Saints star Tyrann Mathieu dunks on Giants lousy offense again after narrow win

The veteran Mathieu may be under contract for one more season, but there's a good chance he ends up becoming a veteran cap casualty as New Orleans tries to dig itself out of the financial hole they are in. If this is his last season with the Saints, he is certainly going out strong.

Mathieu and the Saints have beefed up the effort on the defensive side lately. Since Allen was fired, New Orleans has not allowed more than 21 points in any game. Sure, three of those four games came against the Falcons, Browns, and Giants, but the improvement has been noteworthy.

While the Saints won't make the playoffs in all likelihood, the team seems to be playing much better football in a much more encouraging environment. The Giants, who have fallen to 2-11 on the season, are a mess that is becoming worse with each passing week.

The Saints need to savor wins like this, especially if the front office decides that a more proper rebuild is in the cards. Mathieu hasn't fallen off on the field, and he hasn't lost his status as one of the best trash-talkers in the league despite his age.