New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints | NFL Regular Season | Week 5 | Madden NFL Prediction
Today from the Superdome in New Orleans, this is the National Football League. Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints versus Russell Wilson and the New York Giants. It is always a celebration here in the city of New Orleans and we are just outside of the French Quarter at the Superdome. Alongside my broadcast partner, Charles Davis, I’m Brandon God. And as we look at this matchup every time there’s something different to focus on. So I’ll just ask you, what do you see here in this one? Well, Rem Brandt, you’ve given me a pretty blank canvas to focus on, haven’t you? Where do you think I’m going to go with this? Secondary. You know me. You know me well, right? In a game like this, it’s always about the secondary. Can they handle the passing attack and make a few plays? Glad you’re with us. It’s Blake Groupy to get this one started. And off we go here in New Orleans. This to the back of the landing zone. He’ll return it from the one. And he takes this near the 25. Just a little pass there. Call it the 26. So here are the Giants ready to start their initial drive of the game. They’ll be led out by their 5’11 quarterback from Wisconsin by way of NC State, and that’s Russell Wilson. And similar to his nickname, Russell Wilson has a dangerous mix of skills. The ability to throw from the pocket and extend plays and throw on the run. Not to mention an absolute winner. Usually has his team in the playoffs competing for Super Bowl opportunities. And he’ll get what he can up the middle. Three yards. That’ll bring up second down. That’s just a pile of bodies there. And that’s when you kind of find out who’s a tough guy, right? Who can stand up and make a play. It was only a three- yd run, but for both sides, they had to walk away from that feeling like, “Okay, I can stand up when the going gets tough in here.” Second down. Here’s Tracy. And he’ll take this up near the 35, maybe the 34. Heat. Heat. An early test. Two plays in. This is third and two. Play action. Now Wilson. Pass taken in by his big tight end. And he’s got this to the 30 before being taken down. A first down and then some. 36 yds. We expected this defense to be tested by this passing game coming into this one. And there’s an example on this first possession of the game. So in Saints territory now. Here’s first and 10 at the 30 yd line. To throw is Wilson and that is caught. He’s got it for a Giant touchdown. Darius Sllayton 30 yd and the Giants get the upper hand as they’re on the board first here this afternoon. Not a bad way to start it. And I think that that was part of their script because so many teams script their opening possessions and and whether it’s just that possession or even deeper into the half sometimes it’s 15 to 30 plays. That had to be one in there where they call a shot play. Go for the big one and they got it done. Graham Gau on for the extra point. It’s up. It’s good. And the Giants have a seven nothing lead. So that drive, four plays and it was finished off by a touchdown by the New York Giants. Gnau now following the touchdown here to kick it away on the return. Here’s Shahed and a decent return out to the 27 yd line. And here come the Saints for their opening drive. They’re led out by their quarterback out of Fresno State, Derek Carr. It’s been fun to watch his development through the years. And right now, what you see is a very confident quarterback who has a strong sense of self, totally understands the offense, and knows how to get the ball to his playmakers on the run. Carr going to lead the Saints up here. First and 10 at their own 27. A first carry now. This is Alvin Chimera and he is met in his tracks behind the line of scrimmage. Officially, it’s a one-yd loss. That’s going to bring up second and 11. Moving backwards on first down, never a good thing. What does that do for the mindset on second down? Well, it changes your play call definitely because as a play call, you’re advancing yourself thinking, “Okay, we’re going to get a gain here.” Now you’ve got to go back in reverse, come up with something to pick up not just the yardage lost, but gain a few extra. The loss of a yard there to start out. That leads to a second and 11. Carr finding Taesm Hill complete and he’s taken down but able to slip across the 35. A Saints first down there on a gain of 11. One of the advantages of zone defense, as I remember it, is being able to see the play develop in front of you. One of the disadvantages, when they find those levels where they can hit you with it sometimes behind the corner and in front of the safety, it makes it tough to defend. Line of scrimmage, the 37 on first and 10. Now a play fake Carr. There’s Chris Ave and out of bounds on the other side of midfield at the 45. 17 more yards on that one as they keep the drive rolling. All that practice time came to fruition on that play. All those timing routes that they work on through training camp, OTAAS, mini camp, and just regular season. They got it done on that one. An outcut ball was delivered and picked up the completion. So the drive takes him into Giants territory now. First and 10 at the 45 yd line. Camar up the middle. He’ll get this to the 40. Sweet little juke in there. Got him some extra yardage. Javon Holland coming up to make the stop. It’s not a huge breakaway run, but if your starting running back finishes the game with averages of five or six yards per touch, you’ll take that every single time. Ball at the 40 here for second and five. And they’ll send the tight end in motion here. Play action. Now it’s Carr and that’ll be incomplete. Took a pretty good shot as he tried to pull that one in. Couldn’t hang on. Third down. He did an okay job of absorbing the hit. Just couldn’t secure the football through the catch. And he was right there on the spot and forced the incompletion. That’s something defenders work on all the time. If you’re there, make the contact, but continue to work your way through the receiver so that you can’t possess the football and turn it into a catch. And they’re going to have another first down as the tackles made at the Giants 30. Give them 10 yardds there as this offense is on a roll. This drive continues to plunge forward. That was simply snap, rock, and fire. I mean, they didn’t take long at all. Slant route. And I loved where he put it. You put on the body of the receiver low so only he can catch it. Yeah, I don’t think there was any magical formula there defensively. That’s just tough to defend. Very much so. And that way it allows the receiver to keep his body in front of the defender and not allow him to go through him to knock the ball away on play action. Now Carr and he’ll get this into the hands of Hill complete and he’ll go out of bounds inside the 15 yd line. That’s good for a first down. His second catch of the opening drive. There are so many things to watch for when you play defense and reading your keys. You always hear about that and having your eyes in the right place. Sometimes your eyes can fool you. How about that play action there and it sprang the big guy, didn’t it? able to dump it over the top to him from the 13. Now they work on first and 10 into the red zone. It’s Carr on target over the middle of the hill. This will be stopped about two yds shy of the marker. eight yd gain. Second and two. A nice game there to his trusty tight end, but now it’s got them thinking opening drive touchdown here as they get into the red zone. And in most cases with your tight end, you feel like you’ve got a mismatch no matter who’s covering him. Is it a small cornerback? Is it a linebacker who may not run as well? In any event, whatever you see, you think that tight end can win that battle. And the Saints are going to be set up for a first and goal. They couldn’t quite reach the chalk, but they’ll have it at the oneyd line. That solid gainer will put them on the doorstep of the end zone. More importantly, it gives them a fresh set of downs. Nice work right there. First and goal and a chance to get that initial touchdown right back. Chimera is in. Touchdown New Orleans. down. That’s a great response here in this first quarter. And what I like about it is how they put this drive together. The other guys scored quickly to start the game, but this was smart football to not feel like you have to go out and score quickly yourself. So, they worked the ball down the field, took their time, and finished with the touchdown run. Blake groupy now for the extra point. It’s up and good. So these teams match touchdowns here in the first quarter and we’re tied 77. Yeah. Heat. Each team’s had it. Each team has scored. 77 here as the kicks away. And it’s a pretty good return here as he’ll get this up to the 29. And the holding penalty sets him back inside the 20 as they get going on this drive. Well, throw on first down with Wilson. Pass is caught by Juell Robinson and he’s going to get a solid gain of nine before being brought down. Second and right at a yard. 26 yd line. So from the 26 yd line, here’s second down and a yard. Straight ahead. Here’s Tracy and he’ll get it up to the 33 yd line. Six yds to pick up and that’s a first down. Second and one is often an invitation to take the big shot downfield. But I bet the offensive lineman said, “Are you kidding? We just get on our backs and let’s go get the first down.” They love being physical. So they’ll come up first and 10 now from the 33. Right back to Tracy. Tackle is made by Cameron Jordan. Here’s second and five now from the 37. Now Wilson to the sideline and incomplete. Well, he left no doubt about that one because even though he hasn’t left the pocket, he’s got a receiver in the area. So, it’s not grounding. Even though there’s no way that ball was going to be caught. They come up now third and five following the incomplete pass. Throwing is Wilson. They’ll get this into the hands of the white out from LSU. And he is out of bounds, but not before he’s inside the 30. Well, that’s how you convert on third down with an explosive gain of 34. Running their plays over and over during the week can often get robotic for an offense, but on game day, they can often flow smoothly as that one just did. So in Saints territory now. Here’s first and 10 as they’re down to the 29 yd line. Wilson. There’s a short one caught by Johnson and inside the 20 before he’s brought down. Now we’ve got a Giant player here slow to get up after that last play. Well, now they’re going to come out and take a look at this injury, and we’ll be back in a moment. So from inside the 20, here’s first and 10 at the 18. They’ll hand it to Tracy and he’ll get him inside the 15 down to the 14 yd line. They give him four yards there. It’ll be second and six. 14 yd line. Here’s Wilson to the right side and intercepted. Picked off by Justin Reed. And the Saints will take over here at their own 12 yd line. Well, Brand, as they say in popular culture, this one’s going to leave a mark because they can see the end zone, but it’ll stay out of reach because of their error. All their offensive teammates have to give the quarterback right now. Offer a little bit of encouragement because what’s done is done. Let’s get them next time out. New Orleans Saints, they get ready to set up shop for their second drive. A long drive last time out for this offense. Charles, if you remember, they started basically in the shadows of their own end zone, marched it down the field, and a lot of that was through the passing game. And partner, as a former defensive back, I’m having almost a physical reaction watching what’s happening right now. But let’s give credit words, too, because they’ve done an excellent job moving the ball through the air. Secondary getting picked apart pass by pass. Obviously, they need to make some adjustments there on the back end. Yeah, because offensively, we know that they’re not going to be shy about throwing that football. after the loss to start out. Here’s second and 11 to throw his car. He completes it to a lav and he almost gets this to the 30. taken down about a yard shy. Second catch for him today and it’ll wind up a first down. Had to put that ball in there with a little extra zip, but he put it right where it needed to be. Yeah, that little extra pace that he had on the pass that required a little extra concentration for him, didn’t it? Ball can get on you pretty quick in that manner and he handled it well and picked up the first down. Clock runs. Less than a minute to go and an entertaining first quarter to play throwing on first down is Carr. That’s a lav bringing in another one and he’ll be out of bounds across the 30 yd line. Call it a gain of three on the play and that’ll bring up second down. and here’s Chimera off the draw and he works free and he’ll get this one up to about the 39 here. That was a good run. Probably right on the edge of breaking into something really big. So, the defensive guys right now are talking about, okay, what can we do to slow him down before he truly gets started. Here’s third and a few inches. Here’s Chimera trying to run for it and he will have a first down here at about the 40. 77 our score after one. Ready for the second quarter from New Orleans. It’s the Saints in possession. A couple of first downs have him to the 40 now on first and 10. They’ll run out of the gun with Chimera and he can only manage to get a couple. Second and eight coming up. So, if you’ve been playing defense in this one, there’s a little bit of the good and some bad because they did give up the touchdown run to him earlier, but shut him down otherwise. Outside of that, you’re exactly right. I would say they’ve contained him very well. This is second and eight. We’re good. We’re good. Now they’ll throw with Carr and that’s complete to Cooks and they just keep marching right along. First down on a pickup of eight there. Now Carr over the middle and complete to Shahed and he gets it inside the 35 and just shy of the 30. The Saints passing game in sync and moving the football. It’s a first down. First hand working from the gun. It’s Carr. Alve holds it in. He’ll be dropped at the 25 after a gain of six. from the 25. Here’s second and four. Again, they’ll throw with Carr and his throw is incomplete. He didn’t just deny a big throw there. He broke that one up in the red zone. An excellent play. One that may help save points on the board when this drive is over. Now they face a third down and four after that incompletion on second down. Here’s Carr. Pass to the sideline and pulled in. And he’ll go out of bounds in the red zone just inside the 20. That’ll put him at an even 50 receiving yards now in this first half. And it’s a first down. Third and four. He did just enough, and I mean just enough to move the chains. And that’s all you’re looking for, right? Just want to keep the drive moving. You don’t need the big play there. Just get to that marker that you described. And he was able to do just that. Now a first down carry. It’s Chimera. This will be a five yd pickup as they move it from the 20 to the 15. Second and five. A 10th carry for Chimera. And they get to him quickly here as he’s stopped right around the 13. Two yards a gain there. And now they’re left with a third and about four for a first. Defensively, we always know that he is tough at run support. And I think the way that he gets there is he understands what an offense is going to do before the balls even snapped. A great job of scouting prior to the game, then reading, reacting, and taking the right path to the ball carrier. Now Carr that is caught and he’s got this inside the 10 to the nine before he’s out of bounds. Give him a gain of four. Able to convert and that sets up first and goal. down. You want to put together a long drive, you’ve got to be able to convert on third down. And they’ve done exactly that on this one. Sure enough, came up with another conversion right there. Here’s Carr to throw. His throw incomplete. Great coverage there all around. Really didn’t have many options to throw the football. Very little chance that one was going to be completed. Every receiver was locked up. Another shot from the nine on second and goal. Now Carr got his tight end. That’s complete. That’s Hill. Five yds that time on the completion. And now it’s third and goal. Carr out now to throw and they’re going to get him. They bring him down to the sack back at the 16 yd line. Dexter Lawrence able to bust free and get to the quarterback. I don’t know if he was just working through progressions or just unaware of their pressure, but no matter. Excellent work by the defense to get him to the ground before he could escape the pocket. So Carr departs and on his blade groupy for the Saints field goal from the right hash. This from 33 and his kick is indeed good and they take the lead here now at 10 to seven. Well, in a close game like this, obviously you want the touchdown, but certainly they will take the three and they’ll be okay with that. But let’s throw a little credit to the defense as well. I’m just glad this doesn’t come down to a debate, right? Which side won partner because the defense, hey, we didn’t give up a touchdown. The offense, hey, we put three on the board. Either way you look at it, I think both sides gained something out of that drive. So after the field goal, back out is groupy to send this one away. This taken in right around the goal line and a good return as he’ll be stopped just shy of the 30 yd line. they had on the last drive could be costly. But here they’ve got another opportunity to seize control of this game and they’d better take advantage of it because otherwise if they end up losing by one score they’ll relive this over and over and over until they have another opportunity to wipe it away. Yeah, they get him down but not before he takes it across the 40 yd line. Give him 13 yds on the opening play of the drive and also give him a first down. They go play action now. Wilson being ch and he can’t get rid of it. He’s taken down. A loss of four that time on the sack and it brings up second. And of course that’s not an easy man to sack. you know how elusive he can be trying to get outside of the pocket. That was a great play on the defensive side. I wonder what was going through his mind because he didn’t seem as committed to using his legs to pick up yardage. He wanted to keep that play alive. So either take off and go or throw it away, but he held on to the football and ended up getting sacked. Second and 14 as they’ve got work to do here after the sack. On to give. It’s Tracy and able to get a couple as he’s across the 40 to the 41. Tough spot here. Third down and 11. Here’s Wilson. Robinson’s got it and he gets this only to the 44 yd line. Not near enough to keep the drive alive. So the completion good for just three and it’ll be fourth down. Well, if you do read man covers, Brandon, the drag route’s a pretty good one to run against it because you’re running away from people on it. On fourth down, here’s Jamie Gillan. On to punt deep for New Orleans is Rasheed Shahid. They’ll score that a 36-yd punt and the Saints will take over with a first down and 10. Out onto the field comes New Orleans. And they split the uprights last time for three. They’ve got the lead. They’re not going to play this conservative. They’re not hoping for another field goal. They’re hoping for a touchdown. I’m with you on that one. I like where your head is. I like the way you’re thinking because you’re exactly right. Trying to sit on a lead and play that way, that doesn’t work too well for most teams. Run your offense. Run what you do best. Exactly. Put it all the way down and try and increase your lead in a big way. And the best way to do it, touchdowns. Here’s second and 10 to throw. It’s Carr. He gets this complete to Shahed and he’ll get this up to the 30 yd line. Catch number four for him on the afternoon and it’ll give him a first down. Well, that’s what you’re looking for when you want to throw the ball downfield. You want one of those guys who can play out on the perimeter, can play out wide, who can not only get open, but when they’re covered can uncover themselves downfield and create catches. They’ll pound it up the middle with Chimera and a decent game there as that takes us to the two-minute warning. Two minutes remaining in the first half. 107 our score. Ball on the 36 now. Here’s a second and four. We’re good. We’re good. Throwing now is Carr. That going to be caught downfield by Hill. Big strides. Look at him go. Touchdown New Orleans. Taesm Hill 64 yds as his guys are able to extend their lead. When they drew that up, I don’t think they envisioned it ending in a house call, but he got it. took it all the way home. Really impressive run after the catch, wasn’t it? That was that was really special by him. But let’s face it, today’s NFL, those tight ends are often former wide receivers or maybe even sometimes bigger running backs. They just put them in a position to get a great matchup and make plays like that. Here’s groupy for the PAT. It’s good to make it 17-7. Just a fourplay drive that time and it ends with a touchdown for New Orleans. After the touchdown, here’s groupy to kick this one away. And he’ll wisely just take a knee here and this ball will come out to the 30 yd line. The New York set to take the field. They trail by 10. 17-7 as they come up on a first and 10. Now it’s Wilson buying time to his left and they get him down but not before he takes it across the 40 yd line. Able to make something out of nothing there. 17 yds and a first down. I can’t be sure how much of that was planned pre- snap, but it certainly opens up some avenues for their offense. And if he can stay a threat to break off those kind of runs, it’ll pull defenders away from coverage and open up some choice throwing lanes for him moving forward. And the Saints pressure gets him. Brought down for a sack. So they will take the sack instead of the penalty. And it takes another down off the series. But the biggest one of all. Do you want to tell the guy who just got the sack that it no longer counts? No. No, not at all. and he’ll get nothing out of that one. All in all, no gain on the play and it’ll bring up third. The Giants going to go ahead and use the first of their timeouts as they’ll stop it with just over a minute to go before halftime. Third down. Here’s Tracy and he gets this only to the 44 yd line. Not near enough to keep the drive alive. The Saints going to call the first of their timeouts as the stoppage will come with a little under a minute to go in this first half. On to punt Jamie Gillan. It’s a 39 yd punt three on the return. The Saints offense going to head out now late in this first half. Already enjoying a two-score lead here late in the second quarter. Not a ton of time left. We’ll see if they can work this at least into field goal range and try to get three to add on even more to their lead. Car now on first down. They’ll get this out to Chimera. Now we’ll get a quick timeout called by New Orleans number two as they’ll stop it with just over 40 seconds to go in the first half. Now second and five. Car going to throw. toward the center of the field, but it’s incomplete. Certainly looked like maybe his third or his fourth read on his progression. Just trying to find his outlet man that time ends up leading him just a bit too much. They come up now third and five following the incomplete pass. looking to throw. Carr able to find the open man that’s complete and he is going to have a Saints first down by about a yard as they find a way to convert there on third down and five. And Brandon, from our time in college football where receivers weren’t running the traditional NFL route trade, one thing they did learn, find open areas, find soft spots, and set up and catch the ball. And I think we just saw that there. Yeah, we saw that indeed picking up the first. Now the Saints will use their third and final timeout as the clock will stop with 21 seconds to go here in the first half. Now Carr again on the check down. He finds Chimera and able to break one tackle but then quickly brought down. But a nice little gain. Nifty running there, but it’ll come on what should be the final play of half number one. So, we reach halftime here in a 10-point game as we’ll get you over to Orlando where standing by is Jonathan Coachman. He has our EA Sports halftime report. All right, Brandon, back to you too in just a bit. But first, welcome everyone to downtown Orlando and our EA Sports halftime report. For the Saints, this is why they signed him. They got a strong performance from their quarterback, Derek Carr. He’s got a touchdown pass on the ledger as his guys were able to build a double-digit lead. All right, coach. Thanks very much. Fine work as always as we welcome you back for quarter number three. Heat. Heat. A 10-point game. 17-7 the score. as we get back to it on EA Sports on the return. Here’s Shahed and his guys will get the football right at the 20 yd line. Out come the Saints now. They’ll go on offense first here to begin the third quarter. And Charles, they’ve got the lead. Put your coaching hat on here now. What’s the game plan for the second half? I think getting the running game going a little bit more because I thought in the first half they didn’t get it moving the way that they would like. They had success throwing it, but I think these first couple of drives they’ll want to get those running backs going and give them more opportunities. And I will guarantee you that those guys were lobbying for them in the locker room at halftime. Five catches for him in that first half and that’s number six that we just saw and also a first down. Now a handoff. Here’s Chimera. It’s a six-yd gain on the ground and that’ll make it second and four. No, that wasn’t an explosive run. That wasn’t one that took it all the way to the house. But boy, for a team that’s had trouble running it the entire game, that’s the kind of run they need hopefully to get themselves kick started here now. Second and four. Back to throw car. This one taken in by able to get this one across the 45 before he’s brought down. Five catches for him in that first half and that’s number six that we just saw and also a first down. First down at the 47 yd line from the gun. It’s a run for Chimera. And this will leave him a yard short. Nice pickup of nine yds on first down. Second down and a little more than a yard here. They run it again with Chimera and he’ll go down shy of the 40 at the 41. Four yds the pickup. First down. Sometimes I get almost mesmerized watching these runners who have great vision. You know, those eyes that carry their feet to open spaces, make people miss. I just love watching those guys go to work. Car now on first down. They’ll set up the screen now to Chimera and he’ll be brought down it looks like right at the 40. A good convergence there defensively. only a yard and it’s second down. As a defense, you’re more balanced when you’re in zone coverage because you’re able to keep your eyes on the quarterback and see the play develop in front of you. You’re able to keep the quick pass in front of them and stop it right at the line of scrimmage. On second down, here’s Carr. Little short pass here to Hill and give him six yds here as he’s stopped near the 35 at the 34. The eighth play of the drive coming up. It’s third and three. Carr and the Giant rush gets home as down he goes. Brian Burns gets in there to drop him for a loss of 13 yds. And it’s also fourth down now. He’s known for his legs and his fancy footwork, but he’s not getting much of a chance to use it here. The defense continued to hold the upper hand by bringing him down on that play. Here comes the Saints punter now as he should be able to pin him back deep here with his first punt. Fair catch called for right around the 11 yd line. No return, but it goes down as just a punt of 31 yds. And the Giants drive will start from deep in their territory with a first and 10. Now we take a glance at the offense as they work their way back out for their first possession of the second half. And both of these defenses have been stifling these last few drives offensively. Just not able to get anything going. So what needs to change? I think a lot of the guys will go back and review so to speak because everyone has someone assigned to how did each play work. Okay. What did what do we use that kind of worked for us during this game? try and get back to some of those plays as well as the possibility of showing something you haven’t shown already in this game and trying to change things up. We’ll see if they take the advice of Mr. Davis. Here’s second and seven. They’ll go again with Tracy. Call it a gain of five there on the run, but they’ll remain a yard or two short here with third down coming up. They go play action with Wilson. pass taken in by his big tight end and he will have a Giants first down as they’re able to get the third down conversion. Normally on third down and short yardage, you’re thinking to throw to your tight end, it’s just going to be a simple chain mover, but this time they let him roam down the field and a nice dart picks up the first down and then some. So, here’s a first and 10 at the 38 on the ground. Here comes Tracy and he’ll take this ahead for about four. Second down coming up. And that was a quality play to start a new set of downs. That was simply an offensive line winning the battle up front and wing in a big way and giving their guy in the back field a nice lane to hit inside. Four minutes to go. Third quarter. Here’s Tracy. It’ll only be a gain of a yard and it sets up a third down and four now. Now Wilson right side it’s Manhurds the tight end and he will have a Giants first down as he’ll be marked down a yard or two past the marker following a gain of six. This is a nice job of just taking what the defense is going to give you on third down. You’re not looking for a big play downfield. You just want to find something that can get you past the marker. They found it and were able to keep the drive moving. From midfield. Now here’s Wilson on the move past the 40 and finally taken down at the 35 yd line. Another good completion on the drive as the Giants have a first down. Giants down. on the run is Tracy and not a whole lot of room to operate there on the first down run. He gets maybe three. Yeah, I don’t know if it’s exactly a win-win, but if you’re on offense, you’ll take that kind of a run. All right, it was kind of stacked up. found a little bit of yardage and frankly they’re pretty close to staying on schedule on offense. The playbook is still open for the coordinator. They’ll come up second and seven. Now it’s Wilson. Throw left side taken in by Sllayton and he is out of bounds inside the 30. Be a gain of five and it makes it third down and two yds to go. Now a hand off up the middle Tracy and he’s going to get the first down as they bring him down at the 23. Three yds there. Good enough to keep the drive moving. Haven’t met a football team yet that runs the ball successfully that doesn’t talk about having an attitude to be a running football team. Right. Got to be able to put your nose in there, smell where the first down sticks are, and get there. Tracy going to get it on first down and he maneuvers up the middle for three and it’s second down. Second and seven from the 20. Here’s Wilson to throw. And an offbalance throw there. And it’s going to wind up incomplete. They head to the line facing a third and seven following the incompletion on second down to throw is Wilson eluding the pressure right. Wilson hit. It’s loose. It’s out. Fumble and this is picked up by the Saints. Well, that’s unfortunate cuz he had a nice run going, but give credit to the defense. They got a hand in the cookie jar there, CD. You have to think about vision, finding a place to get down after you know you’ve gotten all you can out of a run. And obviously, ball security is paramount. In today’s football, everyone’s coming after the rock. You’ve got to make sure you protect it and protect the yardage you just gained. Carr going to lead the Saints up here. First and 10 at their own 11. He’ll start with a give to Chimera and he sneaks his way forward only for a couple here. Second down. Two yards on the carry there. It’ll be second down. And that’s going to do it. Clock hits zero. They’re not going to get another playoff. Time has run out on this third quarter. This is the National Football League on EA Sports. Here’s a second and eight. From the gun, it’s Carr. He’ll find Shahed out to the right. 68 yds receiving now for him in the game. They had a first down on that last catch as well. 22 yd line. A man who’s been busy this afternoon. It’s Chimera again. And a really good show of force there as he gets through for four tough yards. That’s it. That’s what you want. Straight ahead positive gain. Just keep that clock ticking. Ball on the 27 here. Second and six. Again, it’s Chimera and he’ll go down right at the 30 yd line. Give him four on the carry and it’ll make this a third and about two. Two straight four yd runs and it is steadily working the ball downfield. To me, they’re staying right on schedule. First down, you want four yards or more to set up the rest of the drive. They’re getting exactly that. The Saints on third down. They’ve been very good. Five for seven thus far. This time they face a third and two. Try in the left side with Chimera. And this will wind up a Saints first down as the tackle made just shy of the 40. Brandon, when a defense just simply can’t get off the field on third down, and we all know how important that down is for both sides of the ball. You often feel like you’re just a step behind whatever they’re doing offensively. And one of the differences in this game, no doubt, third down conversion. And that is going to be a story they’ll talk about after this one. So after the run by Chimera, now another first and 10. Now a play fake. Carr downfield and he’s got a lav and he gets us to the other side of big field across the 45 before going out. 17 there and a New Orleans first down. Well, clear running situation. Tried to take time off the clock. He ran the previous play. Set that play action up nicely. Boy, did they ever. Because they had shown the ability to run the football. So now you lose your keys as a defense. You dive for the running play and they hit him over the top. So the drive takes him into Giants territory now. First and 10 at the 44 yd line. Cam up the middle. 76 yds rushing for him now in the ball game. Second down and four. We’re good. We’re good. A give. This is Chimera fighting his way down to about the 35 yd line. A minimal gain there on the eighth play of the drive. a game of two. Play number nine set to come here on the drive on third and two. They’ll try to run for it with Miller and he gets it to the 32. Good enough for a first down. Well, trailing here in the fourth quarter and that personal foul that only adds to the hole that they’re currently standing in. Yeah, absolutely. A bad job of just losing your cool and letting your anger take over. Mistakes like that not going to help you at this stage of the game. After the penalty, it’s Miller and they go the wrong way here. Knocked back to the 20. the loss of a full three yardds and now it’s second down. No success there running against this three four defense and you have to have special guys who are playing your defensive line talking about your nose tackle and your two defensive ends because they’ve got to hold the point of attack and often times it’s five blockers on three. Those base guys can they hold that line of scrimmage and allow the linebackers to get involved. They did more than hold it there. They sent them backwards. That loss of three. A rare stumble on a promising drive. Here’s second and 13. They’ll run out of the gun with Chimera and a reinforcements come in as they’re going to stop him behind the line. They lose two on that last play. So things get even tougher. Third and long coming up. Two plays in a row there where the defense just annihilates the running game. Yeah, they feel pretty good about themselves right now, don’t they? I can guarantee you in that huddle, man, we’ve got them on the run. They can’t move the ball and there’s always one guy who says, “Hey, we might be getting set up for something. Make sure you loosen up a little bit and look for the big shot.” Yeah. Have to be ready here in pass protection on third down. So, two plays with only negative yardage to show and now it’s third and 16. Looking to throw Carr out of the back field. That’s complete to Chimera. And he’s able to break out of one tackle, but then quickly brought down. He did his best to just get four out of that, but not enough. And now fourth down. So much about this game is just understanding situations and then having to execute, isn’t it? Guard the first down sticks. Don’t let them get there. And they rallied and made the tackle. So here we go. Maybe the biggest kick of the game forthcoming from the right hash. It’s a 35 yd attempt. And his kick is good. And that will open the lead up now to 20-7. So that maybe not a knockout blow, but I suppose certainly every little bit helps when you’re trying to salt one away in the fourth. Well, the possibility of being beaten by two late touchdowns or at least sent to overtime does exist, but time definitely a big factor at this stage of the game is in their favor. So after the field goal, back out is groupy to send this one away and he’ll go down as this drive will start at the 25 yd line. Possession switching back to the New York Giants right now. They’re in a bit of a tough spot here. CD, you trail them by double digits. Remember, the last time out, they fumbled. They’re going to have to play some clean football here on this possession. And all the talk on their sideline has been about taking care of the football, making sure that they’re handling the ball correctly. So, you know, they’ll be squeezing the rock pretty tight here. They just have to be careful not to go so hard and doing that that they actually cause themselves other problems. Take care of the ball, but still try and play free and natural. This defense has certainly had an outstanding second half, haven’t they? I know they just gave up a first down there and for the offense they’re hoping that that’s something that they can jump start with and maybe start to move the ball a little bit better, but it’s been tough sledding for them here the entire second half. One play has him up past the 40 already and another first and 10. Straight ahead. Here’s Tracy. And he’s going to take this ahead for right around three yds, but no more than that. Second down. Look, all any running back wants is a little bit of room, a little bit of space in order to maneuver. But he also understands how difficult it is for his offensive line up front. So, if they give him any space, he realizes his job to make more out of it than what they give him. Picks up three on that carry. Now Wilson on second down throwing over the middle, but it’s incomplete. Nowadays, quarterbacks don’t mind throwing into coverage because of the confidence they have in their receivers to come down with the ball. But sometimes you have to be careful you don’t get too confident and throw an interception. They head to the line facing a third and seven following the incompletion on second down. Wilson work in the middle of the field and he’s got a man complete and this is going to be another first down as the tackles made at the Saints 29 yd line. A really good pick up of 28 yds. You know I’m going to lean towards the defender, right? You know I’m going to do that. I know that’s a tough situation for him as I see it. But the truth of the matter is that ball was not streaking towards him. Had a little arc on it. He’s got to find a way to get his head around and make a play on the football. So in Saints territory now. Here’s first and 10 as they’re down to the 29 yd line. Here’s Wilson. There’s Manhurz the tight end and inside the 20 before he’s brought down. Backto back nice plays. 12 yds that time and a first down. And what a nice example there of a tight end doing exactly what he needs to do. How about how he worked his way to the outside, made sure he secured the catch, and then anything after that, we count that as a bonus. And indeed, he gets enough for the first down. So from the 17 now, here’s a first and 10. They’ll hand it to Tracy. able to fight for about four yds there to the 13 yd. Second and six. Second and six coming up. Right back to Tracy. racing tackle at the yd line and goal. Two minutes left to play in this football game here on EA Sports. So, it’s Giants football here as we welcome you back. They’ve got it first and goal as they look to punch in a late score. Now, first and goal Now Wilson a quick throw knocked away and incomplete. Coaches talk about it all the time. Players talk about it as well. Excellent job staying disciplined in coverage and making that stop inside the red zone. Every stop like that could be preventing a possible touchdown. They come up here with another shot from the sixyd line and it’s second and goal now. throwing is Wilson. Touchdown Giants. Malik Neighbors from six yds away. And the Giants have made it a one-sore game again here in the fourth. I’m not sure win-win is the proper term here, but it certainly felt like it. They got the touchdown they needed. But if I’m on the defensive side of the ball, okay, you got the touchdown, but it sure took you a long time. Yeah, cuz offensively there, you’re probably hoping for a one to five play drive. That one ate up a little more time than they were hoping. You’re exactly right. And if you have that one to five play drive, you actually build up momentum and even more hope when they had to slog their way downfield. They got the touchdown, but it’s almost like, ah, yeah. Yeah. You know, doesn’t feel right. Exactly. Important extra point up and through. And now things get a bit more interesting here in this fourth quarter. Gnau now following the touchdown here to kick it away and the returner down to a knee and this will come out to the 30 yd line. The Saints coming out now to take the field. And this game not quite over yet. And we’ll likely see them take all three timeouts defensively. So, they can’t just kneel this one out. They’re going to have to try to run a few plays. You’re exactly right. They’ve got to get a first down and make them use up all their timeouts in order to feel like they have this one in hand. The Giants going to go ahead and use the first of their timeouts as they’ll talk things over prior to this upcoming second down play. He’s going to get it again. Just looking to get forward and protect the ball. Now the Giants will use the second of their three timeouts as they’ll head to the sideline and talk over what to do next. and the Giants will go with six defensive backs here on third. Now Carr that’ll be taken in by Shahed. They got the completion but they didn’t get the first down. So, you got to think if you’re on the defensive side of the ball, you’re pretty happy with what you just accomplished there. Yeah. Guy, like you said, got him out of bounds, stopped the clock, kept him short of the marker. Here comes the Saints punter now as he’ll kick it away for the second time. 43 yds on the punt. Return of four and it’ll be Giant football first and 10. So Russell Wilson and the offense down 20-4, a little over a minute and a half remaining. How will this thing pan out? We’ll watch as they come up on first down. Wilson to throw. connects with Sllayton. What a big tackle there defensively. One of the most difficult things for a defender to do. And think about the speed that he brought down. If he gets away, he’s likely gone. Here’s a second and seven. Now Wilson forced out to his left and he’s going to get out of bounds with the first down. So an ideal set of circumstances there. They move the chains and they save that final timeout. Well, there you go. Save your best scramble of the day for a big time situation in the fourth quarter picking up the first. You don’t want to use it up early, right? Make sure you save it for that exact moment, that key time. And that’s what he did. Although you and I both know it wasn’t planned that way, but what a nice job using his eyes, scanning the field, and realizing when it was time to exit the pocket and go throwing now is Wilson throwing middle, but it’s incomplete. There have been quite a few plays they might look back on and say, “We really have hurt ourselves.” And that was another example. And this is late game execution. Everything on the line, so it all has to come together properly. The throw’s made. Where’s the catch? Got to catch in that spot. Inside. A minute to go. Here’s second and 10 now. Here’s Wilson. Now he’ll dump it underneath to his running back. Complete. Gosh, given the time in the short game, would he have been better off just dropping that? Yeah, when you look at the clock, you think so, but it’s hard to get a receiver to drop the football. They’re trained to catch everything. The sound reverberating here in the dome. This is third down. He’s got his target. That’s complete. And he will have a Giants first down as they’re able to get the third down conversion. And that’s one of those where it feels like backyard football in a sense. You say, “Forget about the route. Just run to the open spot in the middle of the field and I’ll find you.” Good throw, good concentration on the catch. And they pick up the first down. This offense cannot stop the clock now. No timeouts remaining as they come up here. First down. Back to throw. Escaping the pressure right. That ball caught by Sllayton and he is out of bounds. But first he gets it inside the 10 to the seven. So the big play nullified illegal forward pass. And maybe we know why they were able to get such a good chunk of yardage on that play. That pass was illegal. Here’s second down. They’ll look to throw now. He’ll dump it underneath to his running back. Complete. This one came right down to the wire and CD had that one final chance to try to navigate their way into the end zone but couldn’t get it done to avoid the loss. Yeah. And how about the defense there? Because while they had one final look at the end zone, the defense made sure they knew what they were doing on the last play, executed it flawlessly, and no flags. Because remember, if there’s a defensive penalty, there’s one play left in the game that the offense gets. They didn’t allow that to happen. So, that’ll do it for my partner Charles Davis and the best darn crew in the industry. I’m Brandon Gauten. This has been a presentation of the NFL on EA Sports. The Saints are winners here as we say so long from New Orleans.
New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints | NFL Regular Season | Week 5 | Madden NFL
This simulation was presented to you by TN SPORTS TV
Please check out my channel: https://www.youtube.com/@tnsportstv
Hardware & Software:
– Console: PlayStation 4 Slim (REFURBISHED)
– Laptop: Toshiba Satellite C75D – A7213 (2013 MODEL)
– Capture Card: HD Audio & Video Capture (ALIEXPRESS)
– Software: OBS Studio & Windows Movie Maker (720p 60FPS)