With Thanksgiving and the bye week officially over for the New Orleans Saints, the most critical portion of the schedule is now here. This week, the Saints face the New York Giants on a nationally-televised matchup on Monday Night Football. Boasting an always strong defense, the Giants look to slow down a Saints offense that is getting better and healthier by the week.

Pass Offense

The New Orleans Saints enter Monday night’s contest as the top passing team in the NFL, throwing for an average of 319.4 yards per game this season. Throwing the ball has been the calling card of the Sean Payton era Saints, and that script hasn’t changed one bit this year.

The Giants, who have been decimated by injuries in their secondary, have had a tough time trying to stop the pass this season, giving up 239.1 yards per game. Nonetheless, New York has a ton of defenders that can get to the quarterback, making the rest of the defense better overall.

Drew Brees and the offense have had two weeks to prepare for a stingy Giant pass defense, and that extra time will make a huge difference in the outcome of this game. In order to deter the oncoming pass rush, look for Brees to utilize a multitude of screens, slants, and other quick routes.

Jimmy Graham, who is arguably this team’s MVPNNDB (most valuable player not named Drew Brees), will make a huge difference, giving his quarterback a big target down the middle and in the endzone.

Offensive success, however, is predicated on keeping Brees upright. If the offensive line can do its part, Brees will be able to shred the Giant defense.

Run Offense

Sean Payton will finally have a full squad of healthy running backs for this week’s matchup, which will help out a unit that currently averages 117.5 yards per game, good for 13th in the NFL. Saints running backs have been averaging 4.6 a carry, which is a really impressive mark. As long as the running game remains somewhat of a threat, it will keep defenses somewhat off-balance.

The Giants run defense has been a bit of a disappointment in 2011. Usually a team cornerstone, the Giants have surrendered an average of 123 yards per game.

On paper, this looks like a huge advantage for the Saints. With the entire backfield healthy, the offense needs to be able to establish the run early on. This will benefit the entire offense in a variety of ways, mainly serving as an antedote for the Giant pass rush. Establishing the run will also allow for the Saints to use the play-action pass game to its fullest potential. If the remain committed to the run, things will go well for the entire offense.

Matchup to Watch

Giants DEs vs. Saints OTs. When Drew Brees has time to throw, he can be absoultely lethal. Between DEs Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants have a very talented and deep rotation that will present a plethora of problems for the Saints’ offensive line. Whether using quick slants routes in the passing game, establishing a legitimate running game, or keeping tight ends back to help block, keeping Brees off of the Superdome floor will be key. If the Saints can do so, they have more than enough to emerge with the win.