The Giants hope to be in better position today against the Saints than they were for much of the night Monday at FedEx Field, when they were often pinned back so deep in their own territory they needed a telescope to see the other end zone.
In the second half of the 17-16 loss to the Redskins, the Giants had four offensive series — they started the possessions on the Washington 9, 9, 8 and 20-yard line. Two holding penalties on backup offensive lineman Jim Cordle on kickoff returns played a big part in the disadvantageous field position.
“Penalties lose games because you lose field position, so you can’t do that to our offense, make them start from the 8 and the 9, that’s very poor,’’ special teams coach Tom Quinn said. “We have to keep our hands inside and we can’t hold.’’
There should be opportunities for the Giants to exploit the lowly Saints defense, but starting in the shadow of their own end zone will compromise scoring chances.
* Look no further than red-zone efficiency to spot the differences between these offenses. The Saints lead the NFL in red-zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns 70.3 percent of the time when inside the 20-yard line. The Giants are 23rd, reaching the end zone just 49 percent of the time.
* Could this finally be the game for rookie RB David Wilson to erupt? Though Andre Brown (broken leg) is gone for the season, Wilson got just four rushing attempts last week and gained only nine yards.
“I was kind of expecting more, but really I didn’t know what to expect,’’ Wilson said.
The Saints allow an NFL-worst 153.8 rushing yards per game.
* The depth in the Saints running game took a hit when Chris Ivory — averaging a team-high 5.4 yards per rushing attempt — suffered a hamstring injury late in the week that has him doubtful for the game. Ivory was getting carries behind Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram.
* David Diehl will return to the starting lineup at right tackle, replacing Sean Locklear, who is on injured reserve after seriously hurting his knee last week.
“Unfortunately, Sean hurting his knee, that’s a blow to all of us,’’ Diehl said. “He’s a guy that’s worked extremely hard. He came here, fit right in with our offensive line. But I’m ready to step up and feeling great and ready to play.’’
* The Saints are more comfortable playing inside their Superdome, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take their high-scoring act on the road. Since 2009, they are 20-10 as a visiting team, the best road record in the league during that span. … Drew Brees is looking to start a new streak after his NFL-record streak of 54 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass was snapped last Thursday in Atlanta.