2012 Season Opponent Preview: New York Giants face New Orleans Saints in Week 14
After playing an away game against Washington Redskins in week 13, New York Giants will head back to home to host New Orleans Saints in week 14.
In presence of quarterback Drew Brees, Saints offence is a strong force, but the Giants defence is well capable of facing and giving tough time to them.
However, Saints are entering the 2012 season surrounded by a lot of controversies, which could affect the team’s performance.
An investigation carried out by the National Football League (NFL) revealed this offseason that Saints had ran an illegal bounty programme from the 2009 season until the 2011 season.
The programme encouraged the defenders to knock the opponents out by hitting them on the head, and other body parts. In return, the players were awarded monetary benefits.
The programme was a brainchild of their defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who deserted the Saints after the 2011 season to join the St. Louis Rams.
Saints general manager Mikey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton were also aware of the existence of the programme and did not stop it.
After the investigation was unearthed, the league office placed an indefinite ban on Williams, while giving separate bans to Loomis and Payton. It also suspended the players involved in the scandal.
The Saints will enter the season without their head coach, and no one knows if the team will be able to repeat its heroics from the last year.
Overall, Saints were brilliant last season and they ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak to enter the playoffs.
They won the first playoff game against the Denver Broncos, but lost the next game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Head-to-head
Saints and Giants have played 26 games against each other. Giants have won 14 while Saints have 12 victories under their belt. Both teams are going to face each other once in the 2012 season.
Last meeting
Both these teams faced each other in week 12 of the 2011 regular season.
Saints easily won that game as they were pretty aggressive right from the start. Although no team was able to score in the first quarter, Saints managed three touchdowns in the second quarter, and two each in the next two quarters. The final score settled at 49-24.
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