Chris Olave has been the one part of the Saints’ offense nobody in the French Quarter is complaining about. The problem Sunday is that the New York Giants have a safety who has spent the season taking the ball away, and Jevon Holland will be waiting on every deep throw Tyler Shough sends Olave’s way at MetLife Stadium. We noted this week that Olave is playing at an elite level, and it hasn’t been close.
Olave has 537 receiving yards, second in the NFL, and he’s run 205 routes, more than any receiver in the league, according to PFF. His 89.4 overall grade ranks eighth among 86 qualifying wideouts, and his average depth of target sits at 13.4 yards. That’s a lot of downfield work for a receiver who played through a foot scare against Minnesota.
Holland is the league leader in interceptions with three, and he picked one off in each of the first three weeks, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for September. He’s allowed just three receptions and a 40.8 passer rating in coverage, with an 86.3 overall grade that ranks fourth among 96 safeties, per PFF. He also has two forced fumbles.
Where the Olave-Holland duel will be decided
Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Olave won’t see Holland on every snap, since Holland plays deep and Olave works outside. The collision comes on the throws that define Olave’s season: the deep crossers and go routes where Shough has to trust his receiver to win late. Giants coach John Harbaugh already knows it. “Those two guys, they’re a connection right now,” he said of Shough and Olave in the AP preview.
That connection is also where Shough’s mistakes have shown up. Shough has five interceptions on 205 attempts and called one of his picks against Minnesota “a stupid decision,” as we wrote earlier this week. Holland made his name in Week 3 by sealing a win over Tennessee with an interception on the penultimate play.
“This defense is definitely very sound,” Holland said after earning the monthly award. If the Giants’ blitzers force Shough to hurry, Holland gets more chances to read the quarterback’s eyes and jump a route meant for Olave.
Olave’s status is worth watching, too. He missed practice early in the week with an illness and is listed as questionable. If he plays and wins two or three of those deep shots without feeding Holland a fourth pick, the Saints have a real path to snapping a three-game losing streak in New Jersey.
More on the New Orleans Saints
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- Jameis Winston’s Unbeaten Run and a J.J. McCarthy Wrinkle: 7 Giants Things to Know for Saints
- Here’s What Should Scare the New Orleans Saints About the New York Giants
- New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough Will Have to Solve Giants’ Cover-3 in Red Zone
