Saints make Giants pay for mistakes as late rally led by J.J. McCarthy falls short

The Saints marched into MetLife Stadium and the Giants looked like drunk revelers tripping over their mistakes. They started fast, got sloppy, then cleaned up with a late rally.

J.J. McCarthy started the resurgence after replacing Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter. He led three scoring drives, but his fourth ended with an end-zone incompletion with six seconds remaining.

The Giants lost, 34-27, to snap their three-game unbeaten streak. But McCarthy, who finished 11-for-21 for 243 yards, will spark conversation about who will start for the Giants next Sunday at Houston.
Yet the Giants (3-2-1) put themselves in a hole with mistakes. A costly second-quarter fumble by

Charlie Jones set off a slew of errors, and the Saints scored 34 unanswered points.
After Saints kicker Daniel Carlson converted a 58-yard field goal with 1:23 left in the quarter, Jones fumbled the kickoff return after being hit by Isaiah Stalbird. The Saints recovered and Tyler Shough connected with Bryce Lance on a two-yard touchdown catch with one second left in the period, tying the game at 10 for the Saints (2-4).

The Giants, who led 10-0 at one point, then gave up a scoring drive to open the third quarter with Alvin Kamara dicing his way for a 31-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Tyler Shough’s 1-yard touchdown run and 18-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave put the Giants in a deeper hole at 34-10 with 11:36 remaining

Winston threw two second-half interceptions and was replaced by J.J. McCarthy after Olave’s touchdown. McCarthy then ended his first full Giants series with an interception to Martin Emerson Jr.
It didn’t faze McCarthy, who led the rally by throwing more downfield. His last drive started with him running for a 28-yard gain and then finding Isaiah Likely for a 20-yard gain. The Giants got to the Saints’ 14-yard line and on 4th-and-1, McCarthy’s pass to Malik Nabers went too high with Nabers heavily covered.

McCarthy’s play was the last twist in an intriguing game. Cam Skattebo was demoted after his fourth fumble last Sunday and Najee Harris started at running back. It didn’t spark the run game. Harris had just two yards on four carries.

He, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary combined for just 34 yards on 15 carries against a Saints unit that ranked 30th in rushing defense.

Skattebo played just six offensive snaps and had zero carries or receptions. The offense couldn’t get going, and the defense allowed five consecutive scoring drives.
Winston’s second game this season with multiple interceptions didn’t help things but the Giants’ one-dimensional offense did him no favors. Neither did Jones’ turnover.

No phase went untouched by mistakes. It was reminiscent of previous Saints games where the Giants lost in 2024 on a blocked field goal and lost last year in New Orleans thanks to five turnovers.

McCarthy, who appeared for a play in the second quarter, tried to stop the bleeding by leading a touchdown drive capped by Tyrone Tracy’s five-yard touchdown run. Tracy scored twice Sunday, including a 17-yard catch.

Likely’s touchdown catch brought the Giants closer and Dominic Zvada’s 41-yard field goal got the Giants within one possession.

Malik Nabers finished with 165 yards, his third straight 100-yard game, on 12 catches. Shough finished with four total touchdowns. The Saints, who entered 29th in rushing offense, ran for 175 yards, sparking more questions about the Giants’ run defense.

Yet the bigger question will be at quarterback. Winston finished 14-for-26 for 152 yards but McCarthy’s play will spark more scrutiny over who leads this offense next week in Houston.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.