NEW ORLEANS — The Giants fumbled away a game, the optimistic vibes of their quarterback change and their season on Sunday.
Again. And again. And again.
Wide receiver Darius Slayton, quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo lost fumbles on three consecutive Giants offensive drives between the second and fourth quarters.
The Giants turned the ball over on six straight drives overall: Dart threw back-to-back interceptions to Saints corner Kool-Aid McKinstry in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over on downs in the final minute.
And Joe Schoen’s and Brian Daboll’s Giants fell with a whimper to the previously winless New Orleans Saints, 26-14, inside Caesars Superdome.
Skattebo’s red zone fumble broke the Giants’ backs. The Saints only led, 19-14, but New Orleans lineman Bryan Bresee ripped the ball out at the Saints’ 14-yard line, and defensive back Jordan Howden returned it 86 yards for the touchdown with 14:47 to play in the game.
The Giants (1-4) became the first NFL team to commit five straight giveaways since the Jets did it nine years ago, according to CBS.
Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler got his first win as an NFL starter after beginning his career 0-10. New Orleans’ Kellen Moore (1-4) picked up his first victory as an NFL head coach.
The Giants did not show much trust in their backup receivers in their first game without top wideout Malik Nabers (torn ACL), who is out for the remainder of the season.
They chose instead to highlight tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, which worked for New York early. But Slayton had a brutal game, with a dropped deep target and the lost fumble.
And neither Jalin Hyatt nor Beaux Collins were able to win their battles when Daboll gave them opportunities while trailing late.
The Giants now return home to a gauntlet of a schedule: Thursday night at MetLife Stadium against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, Week 6 on the road against the Denver Broncos and a Week 7 rematch with the Eagles in South Philadelphia.
Dart finished the game 26-of-40 passing for 202 yards, two touchdowns, three turnovers and 55 yards rushing. The Giants managed only 148 yards on offense in the entire second half.
The Giants trailed, 16-14, at halftime despite scoring consecutive touchdowns to start a game for the first time in five years.
Dart smartly slid at the end of his early quarterback runs in an important adjustment to avoid taking as many big hits as he did in his debut start against the Los Angeles Chargers.
And the rookie QB threw two touchdown passes to tight end Johnson to put the visitors up, 14-3, with 13:01 remaining in the first half.
But Slayton dropped a deep pass from Dart in the second quarter that would have kept New York’s offense rolling, leading to a Giants punt.
Safety Tyler Nubin got turned around on an 87-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Saints speedster Rashid Shaheed to draw within 14-13 with 5:16 to play in the half.
Dart underthrew Slayton a deep flea flicker that would have been a touchdown if former Giant Terrell Burgess hadn’t broken the pass up.
Then, just when Saints kicker Blake Grupe’s missed field goal seemingly had given the Giants a break with 1:25 to play in the half, Slayton fumbled the ball back to New Orleans.
Linebacker Demario Davis forced the fumble that safety Jonas Sanker returned to the Giants’ 41-yard line. And Grupe tacked on a third first-half field goal for the two-point halftime lead.
That was a difficult deficit to stomach after the Giants had jumped out to an ideal start.
The Saints won the opening coin toss and took the ball. Giants punter Jamie Gillan and corner Nic Jones pinned New Orleans at the Saints’ 9-yard line with a squib kickoff and good coverage. The Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out.
Then Dart directed an 8-play, 59-yard scoring drive led by New York’s tight ends.
Bellinger caught two passes for 32 yards, including an 18-yard reception down to the Saints’ 1-yard line. Dart slid to avoid a hit on his first scramble. And Johnson caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dart for a 7-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.
Dart then backed up his opening drive success after a Saints field goal with a second consecutive touchdown drive.
The rookie quarterback scampered for an impressive 20-yard scramble, sliding again to avoid the big hit. Then he finished the drive by ripping a 15-yard TD pass into a tight window to Johnson for a 14-3 lead with 13:01 remaining in the half.
That marked the first time since the 2020 NFL season that the Giants had scored touchdowns on the first two offensive possessions of a game.
They hadn’t done it since Daniel Jones and Wayne Gallman scored for Joe Judge’s Giants in a 27-17 win over the Eagles on Nov. 15, 2020.
Now the Giants would be lucky to win as many games as that 2020 team (6-10) this season.
Think about that.
