Week 12 of the NFL season wraps up tonight as the New Orleans Saints host the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. Standings aside this is a fun matchup of fairly explosive offenses and we could see a whole lot of scoring. However, entertainment value aside, Saints-Giants is a game of noted interest for the 49ers.
At 9-2 the 49ers are currently 1 1/2 games ahead of the New Orleans Saints and 2 1/2 games ahead of the New York Giants. If the 49ers get back on the winning track, the result of this game is academic. However, that isn't going to stop me from figuring out someone to root for tonight.
I think the Saints win this game handily, but I'm pulling for the Giants for playoff positioning purposes. The 49ers hold the head-to-head and conference record tiebreakers against the Giants so their 2 1/2 game lead is more like a 3 1/2 game lead. The 49ers hold a conference record tiebreaker edge on the Saints, so I suppose it is not that big a deal. But nonetheless, go Giants.
As I said though, I think the Saints win this one with relative ease. The Saints can win on the road, but in the Superdome they are incredibly tough. The Giants can hang with most teams and have some very solid receiving weapons, but I'm not sure if they can compete in a track meet with the Saints. If they can bring a solid defensive effort they have a chance, but I'm just not sure I see that happening in New Orleans.