The Giants pile up 461 yards after turnovers hand New Orleans a 24-point lead

The Giants finished with 461 yards Sunday, according to the ESPN box score, and still spent the final minutes trying to escape a game they had led 10-0. Four turnovers helped New Orleans score 34 unanswered points, and New York’s fourth-quarter rally ended one touchdown short.

The Saints won 34-27 at MetLife Stadium, snapping a three-game losing streak and improving to 2-4. The Giants fell to 3-2-1 after J.J. McCarthy’s final fourth-down pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

McCarthy threw for 243 yards in relief of Jameis Winston, who had completed 14 of 26 passes for 152 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The change produced a surge, but it came after New Orleans had built a 34-10 advantage.

A fumbled kickoff erases the first-half lead

New York’s opening touchdown came on Winston’s 17-yard pass to Tyrone Tracy Jr. A Dominic Zvada field goal later made it 10-0, putting the Giants close to halftime with control of the score.

Daniel Carlson’s 58-yard field goal cut that lead to seven with 1:18 left. Then the game changed on special teams. Isaiah Stalbird forced Charlie Jones to fumble the ensuing kickoff, and Oscar Delp recovered for New Orleans.

Tyler Shough found rookie Bryce Lance for a two-yard touchdown with one second left in the half. The Saints had converted the short window into 10 points and a tie. New York’s defense then surrendered Alvin Kamara’s 31-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter, giving New Orleans its first lead.

Shough added a rushing touchdown, Carlson another field goal and Chris Olave an 18-yard touchdown reception. The Saints had transformed a 10-point deficit into a 24-point lead before the Giants finally scored again.

A rally without a completed rescue

Tracy’s five-yard touchdown run with seven minutes left and a successful two-point conversion brought New York within 16. McCarthy then hit Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard touchdown, and Zvada’s field goal cut the deficit to seven.

Malik Nabers finished with 12 catches for 165 yards, while Likely had six receptions for 99. Those totals helped the Giants make the closing minutes competitive, but the final fourth-down stop preserved New Orleans’ win.

Martin Emerson Jr. intercepted both Giants quarterbacks, and Julian Blackmon also picked off Winston. The Saints recorded five sacks and won the turnover count 4-1. Shough needed only 144 passing yards to throw three touchdown passes; he also ran for 32 yards and a score as New Orleans rushed for 175.

Giants coach John Harbaugh did not identify a future starting quarterback after the game, the Associated Press reported. Greg Newsome left with a concussion, Darnell Mooney with a neck injury, and Saints guard Cesar Ruiz with a knee injury. New York next visits Houston; New Orleans faces Pittsburgh in Paris.