Published October 18, 2026 04:35 PM
The Giants looked like they were throwing in the white towel when they turned to J.J. McCarthy at quarterback with the Saints up 34-10 with under 12 minutes to play on Sunday, but it turned out that they were just getting warmed up.
McCarthy threw an interception on his first drive, but led the team to 17 points on their next three while the defense kept forcing New Orleans to punt. The last of those punts came with just over a minute left and McCarthy promptly broke free for a 28-yard run into Saints territory. Completions to tight end Isaiah Likely and wide receiver Malik Nabers got the ball to the Saints’ 14-yard-line, but a fourth down throw to Likely in the end zone went incomplete.
That left the Saints to exhale with a 34-27 win that ended their three-game losing streak. That should make team owner Gayle Benson a bit happier even if it looked like her team might blow it all before the final whistle.
The Giants had a 10-0 lead in the first half, but the Saints went into halftime tied at 10 thanks to a field goal, a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and a Tyler Shough touchdown pass with one second left in the second quarter. They kept rolling in the third quarter as Shough threw two more touchdowns and joined the Kendre Miller/Alvin Kamara/C.J. Donaldson running back committee in posting 175 rushing yards.
While that was happening, the Giants were either punting or watching Jameis Winston throw two interceptions that may have pushed his run as the starter to the brink. McCarthy went 11-of-21 for 243 yards and a touchdown to Likely and his 243 fourth quarter passing yards are the third-most since 2020. McCarthy’s 28-yard scramble also made him the team’s leading rusher.
Sunday morning brought a report that Najee Harris would supplant Cam Skattebo as the team’s top running back, which proved partially correct. Skattebo played a handful of snaps and never touched the ball while Harris joined Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary in the backfield. That group was much less successful than the Saints’ trio and the Giants offense lacked any skill position players with impact beyond Likely and Nabers. That tandem combined for 18 catches and 264 yards.
The big question is whether they’ll continue to catch passes from McCarthy in Week 7. The 3-2-1 Giants will be in Houston to face the suddenly surging Texans and it’s hard to see much of an argument that Winston offers more upside than his new teammate given how things played out on Sunday and throughout the older quarterback’s career.
The Saints will head to Paris on Sunday night to prepare for a game against the Steelers and a win in that one would send them into their bye week with a much rosier outlook than they had when this game got underway.