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Players to watch in Week 14 matchup vs. Saints

PLAYERS-TO-WATCH-WEEK-14

The Giants will look to snap a seven-game losing streak when they face off against the Saints at MetLife Stadium in Week 14.

Following their loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the Giants had an extra few days to begin preparations for this weekend's matchup. The Saints made a coaching change after beginning the season 2-7, which led to back-to-back victories over the Falcons and Browns before they entered their Week 12 bye. New Orleans dropped its first game under interim head coach Darren Rizzi this past Sunday in a 21-14 loss to the Rams.

Here are five players to watch in Week 14.

QB Drew Lock

Coach Brian Daboll told the media Wednesday that Drew Lock would get his second consecutive start. Lock made his Giants starting debut on Thanksgiving and completed 21 of 32 passes (65.6 percent) for 178 yards, no touchdowns and one interception for a 66.9 passer rating. Lock also added some production on the ground, taking four rush attempts for 57 yards (14.3 avg.) and a touchdown while setting up the team's first score of the day as well with a run down to the Cowboys' one-yard line. However, he did take six sacks.

New Orleans enters this matchup ranking 29th in the NFL in passing yards allowed and 30th in net yards allowed per pass attempt, although the defense's 12 passing touchdowns surrendered is tied for the fourth-fewest. Meanwhile, the unit's 12 interceptions are tied for the seventh-most in the league. While Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was limited to 14 of 24 passing for 183 yards last week, the Saints surrendered an average of 350.5 passing yards per game in their previous two outings against Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and Browns quarterback Jameis Winston.

View photos of the Giants on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. is coming off one of his lowest volume outings since taking over as the Giants' lead back. The rookie carried the ball just nine times for 32 yards, with his 3.6 average yards per carry being his lowest since Week 6, although he did find the end zone for the fourth time this season. Tracy also had two receptions for 33 yards, as he ended up being on the field for 73 percent of the team's offensive snaps against the Cowboys.

Despite the dip in production over the last two games, Tracy still ranks second among all rookies in rushing yards, trailing only Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving. Tracy is up to 619 yards on 125 rush attempts this season, good for an average of 5.0 yards per carry, to go with his four touchdowns while adding 24 receptions for 178 yards. The Saints rank 26th in rushing yards allowed this year, while their 5.1 yards per carry surrendered is the second-highest in the NFL. Rams running backs Kyren Williams (6.9 avg.) and Blake Corum (5.3 avg.) combined for 155 yards on 24 total touches against the Saints last week.

WR Darius Slayton

Darius Slayton enters Week 14 ranking third on the team with 34 receptions while his 477 receiving yards is second behind only Malik Nabers. Slayton had two of his biggest games of the season earlier in the year when Nabers was sidelined with a concussion. In those two games, the sixth-year wideout totaled 14 receptions for 179 yards and his only touchdown of the season. Nabers was added to the injury report Thursday with a groin injury, which puts his status for this weekend up in the air. If he is unable to suit up, Slayton could serve as the team's No. 1 receiver in a positive matchup. On the season, the Saints have surrendered the fourth-most yards through the air, while ranking 30th in net yards allowed per pass attempt.

Slayton has also made a significant impact for the Giants off the field, as the veteran was named the Giants' 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee on Thursday.

"It's hard to even put into words," Slayton said of his reaction to learning he was the nominee. "It's not something that I saw coming at all. Even as a kid, you see all these things the players do, and you never know. (Now retired tackle) Andrew Whitworth won (in 2021) and I remember he got up there and was telling a story about one of his last years in the league. He said a guy came up to him and (said), 'I was one of those kids at the Boys and Girls Club and I made it big.' To me, that's the ultimate. There's not really much you could do in your career, or anything, that would top that, having someone come up and say, 'You inspired me and here I am.' Even if it wasn't the NFL, that would be the biggest accomplishment in the world.

"I think the award itself speaks to that. That's why I think it's a tremendous honor to be a part of it. I'm very grateful and humbled that I was selected."

OLB Brian Burns

With Dexter Lawrence being placed in injured reserve, likely signaling the end to the defensive lineman's 2024 campaign, the Giants are going to need Brian Burns to step up in the final five games of the season. In last week's loss to the Cowboys, Burns had three solo tackles and a pass defensed, but added three total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. The Giants have only one sack across their last four games, which Burns picked up against his former team in Munich back in Week 10.

Through 12 games, Burns has six sacks, 52 total tackles (31 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and one forced fumble. Burns has also set a new career-high with eight passes defensed, doubling his previous high mark of four. Additionally, PFF has Burns down for 42 total pressures on the year, which already topped his 40 pressures across 16 games for the Panthers last season. The Saints have done a great job of protecting Derek Carr this season. New Orleans has allowed the seventh-fewest sacks in the league with 23, although 14 of those were with rookie Spencer Rattler under center. Carr has not been sacked more than once in any of his nine games this season, and has not been sacked even once in two of the last three games.

ILB Micah McFadden

Micah McFadden has put together another strong season playing in the middle of the Giants' defense. After missing the season opener, the third-year linebacker has started each of the last 11 games. McFadden currently ranks third on the defense with 80 total tackles (42 solo), he has already matched his previous career-high with two sacks on the season, and his five quarterback hits are one shy of his previous high mark set last year. McFadden has also recorded three tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed.

With Bobby Okereke's status for Week 14 up in the air, the Giants may need to lean heavily on McFadden. The strength of the Saints' offense lies in its rushing attack. Veteran Alvin Kamara leads the team with 894 yards on 206 attempts (4.3 avg.), while adding 59 receptions for an additional 450 yards and a score. McFadden will play a large role in the Giants' attempt to slow down Kamara and the Saints' run game, who will play without the versatile Taysom Hill, as the veteran offensive weapon suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week's loss. The Saints enter this matchup ranking inside the top 10 in rushing attempts, yards, touchdowns and yards per attempt.

View photos from the all-time series between the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints.

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