Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is willing to take credit for helping another player win National Football League honors.

That’s Darren Sharper, the New Orleans Saints defensive back whose 59 career interceptions lead active NFL players. He’s returned two of his four against Manning for touchdowns.

“It seems like I’m keeping him in the Pro Bowl every year,” Manning, 28, told reporters after practice on Oct. 14. “When the ball is thrown to him, he makes the catches and he makes good plays. You have to know where he is on the field.”

Sharper will have a chance to torment Manning again this weekend, when the Saints host the Giants in a matchup of two of the NFL’s five undefeated teams. The Saints’ defense has an NFL- leading 13 takeaways as the club tries to go 5-0 for only the third time since it entered the league in 1967.

Sharper, 33, leads the league with five interceptions this season and has returned two for touchdowns -- one for 99 yards against New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.

“I guess I like the big city and bright lights,” Sharper, who also played for the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, said after the Oct. 4 game. “It could be coincidence, but I enjoy playing against New York teams.”

Improved Defense

While the Saints’ offense leads the league averaging 36 points per game, the defense under new coordinator Gregg Williams has allowed the sixth fewest yards on average per game. It was 23rd last season.

“The offense has been really good for a while,” said former San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci, now an analyst for the NFL Network. “The difference this year is that the Saints are playing good defense. New Orleans can move the ball on offense against anybody, but Gregg Williams and his defense is the area of most improvement.”

Manning, who led the Giants to a Super Bowl title two years ago, will be the most experienced quarterback the Saints have played this season.

New Orleans so far has faced two rookies in Sanchez and Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions, a backup in Kevin Kolb of the Philadelphia Eagles, and third-year quarterback Trent Edwards of the 1-4 Buffalo Bills.

Manning is the NFL’s second-highest rated passer this season behind older brother Peyton of the Indianapolis Colts and his 10 touchdowns are tied for second.

Manning’s Statistics

He’s thrown for 1,212 yards and completed 64.4 percent of his passes to lead the Giants to their first 5-0 start since 1990, a season that culminated in a Super Bowl championship. The Giants have the NFL’s second-ranked offense.

“We have to be prepared for all the looks they have given so far and be prepared for something new,” said Manning, who was born in New Orleans and will be playing in his hometown as a professional for the first time. “They are very talented and they make a lot of big plays. We’ve got to take care of the ball.”

The Giants are 3-point underdogs, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.

While the Giants have the stingiest defense in the NFL, allowing 210.6 yards a game, they face a similar challenge in Drew Brees, the Saints’ quarterback who last season led the league with 5,069 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. He’s thrown for nine scores this season.

Giants Defense

The Giants have allowed a league-low 105 passing yards per game after facing the 1-4 Oakland Raiders, 0-5 Kansas City Chiefs and 0-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in successive weeks. Led by a defensive front that includes Osi Umenyiora, Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck, New York’s defense has five interceptions, is tied for the league lead with six fumble recoveries and ranks fourth with 14 sacks.

“They’ve got one of the better pass rushes in the NFL,” Brees, 30, said during a media conference call. “We need to make sure we have a plan for them and we will. The fact is that they are great pass rushers and they are used to making plays.”

The Giants and Saints are among five undefeated teams, the most through the first five weeks of a season in NFL history.

The Colts, Vikings and Denver Broncos also enter Week 6 of the regular season without a loss. The Colts have a bye, while the Broncos visit the 2-2 San Diego Chargers and the Vikings host the 3-2 Baltimore Ravens.

To contact the reporters on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.netVince Golle in Washington at vgolle@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 16, 2009 00:00 EDT