New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints: 2015 Week 8 Recap

Game story

In Week 8 of the 2015 NFL season on 2015-11-01, the New Orleans Saints took care of business against the New York Giants, pulling away with a 52–49 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q4 with 31 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

D. Brees (New Orleans Saints) paced the passing game, with +25.01 total EPA, and +10.3% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, E. Manning (New York Giants) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +26.49 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-41.1% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when New Orleans Saints changed the game: (7:23) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right intended for 83-W.Snead INTERCEPTED by 38-T.McBride (41-D.Rodgers-Cromartie) at NYG 37. 38-T.McBride for 63 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 E. Manning · New York Giants · Passing · +26.49 total EPA · 51 snaps · +0.52 EPA/play
2. 2 D. Brees · New Orleans Saints · Passing · +25.01 total EPA · 51 snaps · +0.49 EPA/play
3. 3 O.Beckham Jr. · New York Giants · Receiving · +15.83 total EPA · 9 snaps · +1.76 EPA/play
4. 4 B. Watson · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +13.01 total EPA · 10 snaps · +1.30 EPA/play
5. 5 M. Colston · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +8.01 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.89 EPA/play
6. 6 D. Harris · New York Giants · Receiving · +5.70 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.81 EPA/play
7. 7 M. Ingram · New Orleans Saints · Rushing · +2.87 total EPA · 17 snaps · +0.17 EPA/play
8. 8 B. Cooks · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.85 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.36 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New York Giants — O. Beckham (E. Manning pass) (Q1 54:43)
• New Orleans Saints — W. Snead (D. Brees pass) (Q1 52:45)
• New Orleans Saints — B. Cooks (D. Brees pass) (Q1 47:30)
• New York Giants — O. Beckham (E. Manning pass) (Q2 43:34)
• New Orleans Saints — M. Colston (D. Brees pass) (Q2 41:15)
• New Orleans Saints — W. Snead (D. Brees pass) (Q2 31:50)
• New York Giants — S. Vereen (E. Manning pass) (Q2 30:07)
• New York Giants — O. Beckham (E. Manning pass) (Q3 28:08)
• New Orleans Saints — B. Cooks (D. Brees pass) (Q3 25:14)
• New Orleans Saints — B. Watson (D. Brees pass) (Q3 15:33)
• New York Giants — D. Harris (E. Manning pass) (Q4 12:24)
• New York Giants — D. Harris (E. Manning pass) (Q4 9:37)
• New York Giants — T. McBride (Q4 7:23)
• New Orleans Saints — C. Spiller (D. Brees pass) (Q4 0:41)

Field goals

• New Orleans Saints — K. Forbath (Q4 0:05)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 14–7. New York Giants found the end zone from the NO 2 (Q1 54:43) — (9:43) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 1, YAC 1; New York Giants added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q1 54:39) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the NYG 34 (Q1 52:45) — (7:45) 9-D.Brees pass deep right to 83-W.Snead for 34 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 34, YAC 0; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q1 52:36) — 5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the NYG 26 (Q1 47:30) — (2:30) 9-D.Brees pass short left to 10-B.Cooks for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 4, YAC 22; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q1 47:24) — 5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown..

The second quarter: The quarter finished even at 14–14. New York Giants found the end zone from the NO 1 (Q2 43:34) — (13:34) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 1, YAC 0; New York Giants added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q2 43:31) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the NYG 53 (Q2 41:15) — (11:15) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 12-M.Colston for 53 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 13, YAC 40; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q2 41:05) — 5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the NYG 2 (Q2 31:50) — (1:50) 9-D.Brees pass short left to 83-W.Snead for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, YAC 0; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q2 31:46) — 5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.; New York Giants found the end zone from the NO 2 (Q2 30:07) — (:07) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 34-S.Vereen for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 1, YAC 1; New York Giants added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q2 30:02) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing..

The third quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 14–7. New York Giants found the end zone from the NO 50 (Q3 28:08) — (13:08) 10-E.Manning pass deep right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 49, YAC 1; New York Giants added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q3 27:58) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the NYG 21 (Q3 25:14) — (10:14) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep left to 10-B.Cooks for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 18, YAC 3; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q3 25:09) — 5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the NYG 20 (Q3 15:33) — (:33) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep middle to 82-B.Watson for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 20, YAC 0; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q3 15:29) — 5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown..

The fourth quarter: New York Giants won the period 21–10. New York Giants found the end zone from the NO 9 (Q4 12:24); New York Giants added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q4 12:15) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.; New York Giants found the end zone from the NO 20 (Q4 9:37) — (9:37) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass deep right to 17-D.Harris for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 20, YAC 0; New York Giants added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q4 9:30) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.; New York Giants found the end zone from the NYG 43 (Q4 7:23); New York Giants added 1 points from the NO 20 (Q4 7:11) — 3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.; New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the NYG 9 (Q4 0:41) — (:41) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 28-C.Spiller for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 7, YAC 2; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q4 0:36) — 5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.; New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the NYG 32 (Q4 0:05) — (:05) 5-K.Forbath 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• New Orleans Saints (Q4 7:23) — (7:23) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right intended for 83-W.Snead INTERCEPTED by 38-T.McBride (41-D.Rodgers-Cromartie) at NYG 37. 38-T.McBride for 63 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -41.1% · EPA -9.95]
• New York Giants (Q4 0:20) — (:20) 9-B.Wing punts 46 yards to NO 29, Center-51-Z.DeOssie. 23-M.Murphy to NYG 47 for 24 yards (43-C.Dahl). FUMBLES (43-C.Dahl), recovered by NO-83-W.Snead at NYG 47. 83-W.Snead to NYG 47 for no gain [WPA -20.5% · EPA -2.16]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 0:05) — (:05) 5-K.Forbath 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown. [WPA +19.1% · EPA +0.82]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 0:41) — (:41) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 28-C.Spiller for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 7, YAC 2 [WPA +17.6% · EPA +2.54]
• New York Giants (Q3 28:08) — (13:08) 10-E.Manning pass deep right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 49, YAC 1 [WPA +16.7% · EPA +4.95]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New Orleans Saints (Q4 7:23) — (7:23) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right intended for 83-W.Snead INTERCEPTED by 38-T.McBride (41-D.Rodgers-Cromartie) at NYG 37. 38-T.McBride for 63 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -41.1% · EPA -9.95]
• New York Giants (Q3 28:08) — (13:08) 10-E.Manning pass deep right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 49, YAC 1 [WPA +16.7% · EPA +4.95]
• New Orleans Saints (Q2 41:15) — (11:15) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 12-M.Colston for 53 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 13, YAC 40 [WPA +14.3% · EPA +4.56]
• New York Giants (Q4 12:24) — (12:24) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short middle to 17-D.Harris for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NO-27-D.Swann was injured during the play. His return is Questionable. Pass 9, YAC 0 [WPA +5.7% · EPA +4.08]

Quarterback report card

D.Brees led all passers in efficiency for New Orleans Saints, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• D.Brees (New Orleans Saints) · 51 dropbacks · 76.5% completion · +10.3% CPOE · +0.49 EPA/play · +25.01 total EPA
• E.Manning (New York Giants) · 51 dropbacks · 58.8% completion · +6.3% CPOE · +0.52 EPA/play · +26.49 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (New York Giants +0.26, New Orleans Saints +0.23) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• New Orleans Saints: 13 drives, +23.41 total EPA, 9 scoring drives
• New York Giants: 12 drives, +24.97 total EPA, 6 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New Orleans Saints leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• E. Manning (New York Giants) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• D. Brees (NO) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• E. Manning (NYG) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q1 54:43 · NO 2 · Score 6-0
   (9:43) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 1, YAC 1
2. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q1 54:39 · NO 15 · Score 7-0
   3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.
3. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q1 52:45 · NYG 34 · Score 7-6
   (7:45) 9-D.Brees pass deep right to 83-W.Snead for 34 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 34, YAC 0
4. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q1 52:36 · NYG 15 · Score 7-7
   5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
5. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q1 47:30 · NYG 26 · Score 7-13
   (2:30) 9-D.Brees pass short left to 10-B.Cooks for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 4, YAC 22
6. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q1 47:24 · NYG 15 · Score 7-14
   5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
7. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q2 43:34 · NO 1 · Score 13-14
   (13:34) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 1, YAC 0
8. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q2 43:31 · NO 15 · Score 14-14
   3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.
9. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 41:15 · NYG 53 · Score 14-20
   (11:15) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 12-M.Colston for 53 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 13, YAC 40
10. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 41:05 · NYG 15 · Score 14-21
    5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
11. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 31:50 · NYG 2 · Score 14-27
    (1:50) 9-D.Brees pass short left to 83-W.Snead for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, YAC 0
12. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 31:46 · NYG 15 · Score 14-28
    5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
13. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q2 30:07 · NO 2 · Score 20-28
    (:07) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 34-S.Vereen for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 1, YAC 1
14. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q2 30:02 · NO 15 · Score 21-28
    3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.
15. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q3 28:08 · NO 50 · Score 27-28
    (13:08) 10-E.Manning pass deep right to 13-O.Beckham Jr. for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 49, YAC 1
16. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q3 27:58 · NO 15 · Score 28-28
    3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.
17. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q3 25:14 · NYG 21 · Score 28-34
    (10:14) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep left to 10-B.Cooks for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 18, YAC 3
18. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q3 25:09 · NYG 15 · Score 28-35
    5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
19. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q3 15:33 · NYG 20 · Score 28-41
    (:33) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep middle to 82-B.Watson for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 20, YAC 0
20. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q3 15:29 · NYG 15 · Score 28-42
    5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
21. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q4 12:24 · NO 9 · Score 34-42
    (12:24) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short middle to 17-D.Harris for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NO-27-D.Swann was injured during the play. His return is Questionable. P
22. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q4 12:15 · NO 15 · Score 35-42
    3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.
23. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q4 9:37 · NO 20 · Score 41-42
    (9:37) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass deep right to 17-D.Harris for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 20, YAC 0
24. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q4 9:30 · NO 15 · Score 42-42
    3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.
25. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q4 7:23 · NYG 43 · Score 48-42
    (7:23) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right intended for 83-W.Snead INTERCEPTED by 38-T.McBride (41-D.Rodgers-Cromartie) at NYG 37. 38-T.McBride for 63 yards, T
26. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q4 7:11 · NO 20 · Score 49-42
    3-J.Brown extra point is GOOD, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, Holder-9-B.Wing.
27. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 0:41 · NYG 9 · Score 49-48
    (:41) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 28-C.Spiller for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 7, YAC 2
28. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q4 0:36 · NYG 15 · Score 49-49
    5-K.Forbath extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
29. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q4 0:05 · NYG 32 · Score 49-52
    (:05) 5-K.Forbath 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.