New Orleans Saints vs New York Giants Match Player Stats On Dec 09, 2012

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 9, 2012

Giants 52, Saints 27: Rookie David Wilson totaled three touchdowns and piled up a team-record 327 all-purpose yards as New York dominated visiting New Orleans.

Wilson ran a kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown and rushed for two more scores and 100 yards on 13 carries. Eli Manning went 22-of-35 for 259 yards and four touchdowns and Victor Cruz made eight catches for 121 yards and a score for the Giants (8-5), who maintained their one-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.

Darren Sproles rushed for a score and caught another but Drew Brees was picked off twice and the Saints (5-8) totaled four turnovers in their third straight setback.

Things did not start off so well for Manning, who had an interception returned 73 yards for a touchdown by Elbert Mack with 9:54 left in the first quarter. But Wilson ran the ensuing kickoff back for the touchdown and Manning turned New Orleans’ second fumble in as many series into a touchdown with a 6-yard strike to Martellus Bennett that gave the Giants the lead.

A 5-yard scoring pass to Domenik Hixon made it a 21-13 lead at the break, and Brees was picked off on his first pass attempt of the second half, leading to Wilson’s 6-yard rushing score. It would stretch out to 35-13 before Sproles got the Saints back into it with two TDs to cut the deficit to 35-27, but Manning found Cruz early in the fourth quarter and Wilson put it away on a 52-yard scamper with 5:20 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The 52 points marked the first time the Giants have reached 50 since Dec. 20, 1986, when they put 55 on the board in a win over Green Bay. … Brees has thrown nine interceptions over the past three games and is tied for the NFL lead with Indianapolis Colts rookie Andrew Luck (18). ... New York WR Hakeem Nicks (knee) was questionable before the game but caught four passes for 67 yards and a score.