The New Orleans Saints defeated the New York Giants 26-14 on Sunday afternoon inside the Caesars Superdome. The win marks the first in the Kellen Moore era for New Orleans.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Saints (1-4) started with the ball but had bad field position right away. They went three-and-out, allowing the Giants (1-4) to set up at nearly midfield for their first drive.
A few close calls went against New Orleans on the drive, and New York took advantage. Jaxson Dart hit Theo Johnson in the end zone for the touchdown to make it 7-0 in favor of the visitors.
The Saints responded with a Blake Grupe field goal to make it 7-3, but then the Giants extended the lead. Dart again found Johnson on a touchdown strike to make it 14-3 just into the second quarter.
The Saints were able to get another Grupe field goal, this one from 53 yards, to cut the lead to 14-6. Then, the defense was able to come up with a stop to allow them a chance to trim the lead further.
They would do so promptly, as Spencer Rattler hit Rashid Shaheed on an 87-yard touchdown, the longest play of the season for New Orleans thus far. That cut the lead down to one point at 14-13.
The score would stay 14-13 until deep in the second quarter. Grupe missed a long field goal try, and New York look poised to get points of their own. However, Demario Davis forced a fumble, recovered by Jonas Sanker, flipping the situation and giving New Orleans the scoring chance instead. Grupe converted a much shorter try from 29, and the Saints took a 16-14 lead into the half.
Early in the second half, the turnover bug bit the Giants again. Dart dropped the ball on a scramble, and Cam Jordan was there to recover it and give the Saints a possession with good field position. The drive looked promising, but it stalled inside the red zone leading to another Grupe field goal. That made it 19-14 Saints.
Another turnover was the next big swing. Cam Skattebo fumbled, and Jordan Howden returned it for 86 yards and a Saints touchdown, extending the lead to 26-14.
Late in the game, Kool-Aid McKinstry made his presence felt as he intercepted Dart twice to end drives in the comeback effort. Despite another Grupe miss, New Orleans held on for the 26-14 victory.
BIG NUMBER: 86
Big plays were the story of this game. The Saints had two plays of 86 yards or more with the Shaheed receiving touchdown and the Howden fumble recovery. They also had a play of 86 yards or more on both offense and defense.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Jonas Sanker, Jordan Howden & Kool-Aid McKinstry
The Saints’ young defensive back trio each had a huge impact. Howden and Sanker recovered a fumble, with Howden’s going for a touchdown. McKinstry picked Dart off twice down the stretch, helping to preserve the lead.
UP NEXT: The Saints will remain home as they play host to the New England Patriots on Sunday, October 12th at noon inside the Caesars Superdome.