The New York Giants once again put fans on an emotional roller coaster against the New Orleans Saints. Turnovers, defensive breakdowns, and a missing running back led to a 24-point deficit at one point. After a failed comeback attempt, here are the biggest takeaways from Big Blue’s loss.
After Jaxson Dart’s season-ending knee injury in Week 2, Jameis Winston has led New York’s offense to a 2-0-1 record as a starter. In Sunday’s loss, he completed 14 of 26 passes for 152 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
After Winston’s second interception, the Giants were down 34-10 and made the change to recent trade acquisition J.J. McCarthy. He threw an interception of his own before quickly finding his groove.
McCarthy ended his fourth-quarter performance going 11/21 for 243 yards, one touchdown, and the aforementioned interception. He led the offense to 17 unanswered points and rushed for a team-leading 26 yards.
Down 34-27, the game came down to one final drive, and McCarthy was nearly flawless in it. He scrambled for 28 yards, completed passes to Isaiah Likely and Malik Nabers, and drove down to New Orleans’ 14-yard line.
A fourth-and-one pass to Likely in the endzone fell incomplete, and ended the game for New York. The outcome wasn’t ideal, but one thing was evident: McCarthy is better for this offense than Winston.
Cam Skattebo fumbled the football in New York’s overtime tie with the Washington Commanders last week. It nearly cost the team the game, and he paid for it in Week 6.
Skattebo was suited up on the sideline, but only saw limited action as a blocker. He wasn’t given a single carry, much to New York’s detriment. The Saints’ defense ranks 30th in rush yards allowed per game (148.8); they only gave up 84 rush yards in this matchup.
McCarthy led the team with 28 rush yards. Behind him was Darnell Mooney with 20, Tyrone Tracy with 18, Devin Singletary with 14, Winston with four, and Najee Harris with two. Head coach John Harbaugh says Skattebo’s lack of carries wasn’t by design, which is arguably more confusing to fans.
Skattebo has fumbled four times this season, a stark contrast to the one he had in 2025. He averages 58.8 rush yards per game in 2026 and is the clear leader in New York’s backfield. What was seemingly meant as a punishment for him ultimately hindered the team in an extremely winnable game.
After going up 10-3, the Giants were in complete control of this game. On a kick return, Charlie Jones fumbled the ball at New York’s 28-yard line. The Saints ended the first half with a touchdown pass to tie the game at 10.
After Jones’ fumble, the Giants’ entire team looked deflated. During the third quarter, the defense gave up 17 unanswered points, the offense punted, and Winston threw his first interception.
During New York’s first drive of the second half, they were called for three consecutive penalties. Offsetting penalties saw Francis Mauigoa called for holding, along with Saints’ defensive end Cam Jordan stepping offsides.
After the first flag, Tyrone Tracy was called for a false start, then Andrew Thomas was called for the same thing. 10 yards were lost on the drive due to flags, backing the Giants up to a 3rd and 18 at their own six-yard line.
New York didn’t show life until after McCarthy’s interception with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Falling apart after a special teams fumble, with a nonexistent run game, is unacceptable in a game like this.
If there is one positive for Giants fans to take away from this game, it’s the duo of Nabers and Likely. The former ended with 12 catches for 165 yards, while the latter logged six receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.
139 of McCarthy’s 243 pass yards were to Nabers and Likely, with the latter catching his lone touchdown pass. The former has now logged three consecutive 100+ yard games while the latter has 193 yards and three scores over the last two weeks.
Nabers averaged 13.8 yards per catch, while Likely averaged 16.5 against New Orleans. No matter who is under center for New York, these two are proving to be an elite pass-catching duo.
While the Giants’ meeting with New Orleans didn’t go as planned, there were valuable lessons learned. It’s time for a QB change, don’t bench your top running back, and feed your two biggest receiving threats. They’ll face a surging Houston Texans in Week 7, giving McCarthy a huge test should he get the starting nod.
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