GAME RECAP: GIANTS LOSE SHOOTOUT TO SAINTS, 49-24
Tom Coughlin is not one to mince words, so he quickly volunteered what he considered the salient point after the Giants lost to the New Orleans Saints, 49-24, Monday night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
"Obviously," Coughlin said "we had a tough time stopping them."
That's an understatement. The Saints scored touchdowns on seven of 11 offensive possessions. They gained 577 yards, the second-highest total allowed by the Giants in their 87-year history. The Chicago Bears gained 682 yards on Nov. 14, 1943.
"We ran into a buzzsaw," said defensive end Justin Tuck. "We had some opportunities and didn't take advantage of them. We didn't play that well on third down (the Saints converted five of nine opportunities). They made some big plays. We weren't able to do anything we wanted to defensively."
**POSTGAME QUOTES
Coach Coughlin:* "Our players were very serious about their preparation. We did a good job these last couple of days of continuing to study. Obviously, we had a tough time stopping them. I am responsible for two of those scores (by the Saints). The rookie fumbled, giving the ball up. And going for it on fourth down because we basically had to. I knew they (the Saints) would try to score. They did." FULL TRANSCRIPT
BOX SCORE*
NYG
NO
1st Downs
29
31
Passing 1st downs
19
17
Rushing 1st downs
5
13
1st downs from Penalties
5
1
3rd down efficiency
5-11
5-9
4th down efficiency
0-2
0-2
Total Plays
70
69
Total Yards
465
577
Passing
392
372
Comp-Att
33-47
25-39
Yards per pass
8.3
9.5
Rushing
73
205
Rushing Attempts
22
30
Yards per rush
3.3
6.8
Red Zone (Made-Att)
2-3
5-6
Penalties
4-32
11-104
Turnovers
2
0
Fumbles lost
1
0
Interceptions thrown
1
0
Defensive / Special Teams TDs
0
0
Possession
31:28
28:32
