Saints 34, Giants 27: drive chart, EPA and box score

Week 6 · Sun, Oct 18 · MetLife StadiumFinal

Final

	1	2	3	4	T
NO	0	10	17	7	34
NYG	7	3	0	17	27

Home · 5-2-1New YorkGiants27

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 11:29 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints beat the New York Giants 34-27 on Sun, Oct 18 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (Week 6, 2026 season). Records after the game: Saints 3-5, Giants 5-2-1. J.McCarthy (NYG) led all players with +8.3 EPA on 21 dropbacks.

Who won Saints vs Giants?

The New Orleans Saints won 34-27. By quarter: NO 0-10-17-7, NYG 7-3-0-17.

Who was the best player in Saints vs Giants?

By expected points added: J.McCarthy (NYG, +8.3 EPA on 21 dropbacks), C.Jones (NYG, +4.2 EPA on 3 targets) and T.Shough (NO, +3.5 EPA on 32 dropbacks).

What was the turning point of Saints vs Giants?

The biggest swing in win probability (21 points toward the Giants) came in Q4 at 0:24: (Shotgun) J.McCarthy pass short middle to M.Nabers to NO 14 for 9 yards (J.Reid).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Saints 34, Giants 27: Week 6 recap”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-10-18-no-at-nyg (updated 2026-11-11).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

The Verdict

Week 6 issue →

Week 6EarnedGame file →

Saints34% success · +0.00 EPA/play

3427

Giants44% success · −0.05 EPA/play

NO 65% deserveddeserved 35% NYG

Saints earned it: the snaps said Saints by 2.2, a deserved win probability of 65%.

Deserved marginNO by 2.2

Real marginNO by 7

Luck pts NO−2.6

Luck pts NYG+1.8

The swingQ3 12:31 · NO · +15 pts of win probability. (Shotgun) 6-T.Shough pass short right to 41-A.Kamara for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Flags that moved this game

1Offensive HoldingNO → helped NYG · Wk 6 Q1 4:23 · (Shotgun) 6-T.Shough pass short left to 43-C.Donaldson to NO 39 for 2 yards (5-K.Thibodeaux). PENALTY on NO-72-A.Richards,…+4.3 WP
2Roughing the PasserNO → helped NYG · Wk 6 Q2 3:39 · (Shotgun) 19-J.Winston sacked at NO 35 for -6 yards (91-V.Broughton). PENALTY on NO-91-V.Broughton, Roughing the Passer, 15…+3.1 WP

Deserved win probability from the snaps, fumble bounces evened out. How we judge

From the Lab

This game, re-drawn

All Lab tools →

Game DNA165 plays, one strand1 lead change · 12 explosive plays · downloadable poster →

Officiating crewAlex Kemp17 accepted flags in this game · 13.3 a game this season (one of the quietest crews)Market vs SnapsLine: NO by 1.5 · Snaps: NO by 2.2Saints covered; the snaps agree

34@27

Week 6

If the 58-yard kick had missed

Giants after the play76%what really happened

Q2 1:23 10-D.Carlson 58 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-17-R.Wright.

Every game's sliding door →

Home win probability, play by play

The river

100%

Hover, tap or drag along the river to read any play. Arrow keys work too. Click to jump to its drive.

NYG ▲NO ▼

Q1Q2Q3Q4

The five biggest swings

+21%Q4 0:24 · for NYG(Shotgun) J.McCarthy pass short middle to M.Nabers to NO 14 for 9 yards (J.Reid).
+21%Q4 0:13 · for NOJ.McCarthy spiked the ball to stop the clock.
+13%Q2 0:01 · for NO(Shotgun) T.Shough pass short middle to B.Lance for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.
+13%Q4 0:12 · for NO(Shotgun) J.McCarthy pass incomplete short left to I.Likely (J.Sanker) [C.Young]. NO-Q.Riley was injured during the play.
+12%Q3 12:21 · for NO(Shotgun) T.Shough pass short right to A.Kamara for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.

Every drive, on the field

NYG attacks →← NO attacks

Q1 15:00PUNT3p · -2y · 0:51
Q1 14:09PUNT5p · 17y · 2:11
Q1 11:58TD12p · 93y · 6:44
Q1 5:14PUNT3p · 1y · 3:14
Q1 2:00PUNT3p · -6y · 1:39
Q1 0:21PUNT3p · -2y · 1:13
Q2 14:08PUNT4p · 16y · 2:58
Q2 11:10MISS11p · 39y · 4:19
Q2 6:51FG10p · 39y · 4:24
Q2 2:27FG7p · 16y · 1:09
Q2 1:18FUM0p · 0y · 0:07
Q2 1:11TD5p · 28y · 1:10
Q2 0:01HALF1p · -1y · 0:01
Q3 15:00TD5p · 79y · 2:39
Q3 12:21PUNT3p · 2y · 1:49
Q3 10:32TD9p · 52y · 4:49
Q3 5:43INT5p · 36y · 1:27
Q3 4:16FG6p · 30y · 3:04
Q3 1:12PUNT3p · -5y · 1:22
Q4 14:50PUNT3p · 9y · 2:09
Q4 12:41INT2p · 7y · 0:22
Q4 12:19TD2p · 21y · 0:48
Q4 11:31INT5p · 28y · 1:09
Q4 10:22FUM2p · 8y · 0:51
Q4 9:31TD6p · 52y · 2:31
Q4 7:00PUNT3p · 0y · 1:06
Q4 5:54TD3p · 73y · 0:48
Q4 5:06PUNT3p · 5y · 1:07
Q4 3:59FG7p · 69y · 1:55
Q4 2:04PUNT3p · 7y · 1:07
Q4 0:57DOWNS7p · 57y · 0:51
Q4 0:06END1p · -1y · 0:06

Saints15 drives6scoring drives (4 TD)40%drives ending in pointsOWN 42avg starting field position6three-and-outs1turnovers incl. downs

Giants15 drives5scoring drives (3 TD)33%drives ending in pointsOWN 23avg starting field position4three-and-outs5turnovers incl. downs

Scoring summary

Q1
5:14Touchdown(Shotgun) J.Winston pass short right to T.Tracy for 17 yards, TOUCHDOWN [C.Jordan]. D.Zvada extra point is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.0–7
Q2
2:27Field goalD.Zvada 34 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.0–10
Q2
1:18Field goalD.Carlson 58 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.3–10
Q2
0:01Touchdown(Shotgun) T.Shough pass short middle to B.Lance for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.10–10
Q3
12:21Touchdown(Shotgun) T.Shough pass short right to A.Kamara for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.17–10
Q3
5:43TouchdownT.Shough up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.24–10
Q3
1:12Field goalD.Carlson 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.27–10
Q4
11:31TouchdownT.Shough pass deep right to C.Olave for 18 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Carlson extra point is GOOD, Center-Z.Wood, Holder-R.Wright.34–10
Q4
7:00Touchdown(Shotgun) T.Tracy right guard for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN. TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. J.McCarthy pass to I.Likely is complete. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.34–18
Q4
5:06Touchdown(Shotgun) J.McCarthy pass deep left to I.Likely for 24 yards, TOUCHDOWN. TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. J.McCarthy pass to M.Nabers is incomplete. ATTEMPT FAILS.34–24
Q4
2:04Field goalD.Zvada 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.34–27

Team stats

NOvsNYG

319Total yards461

144Passing yards377

175Rushing yards84

4.7Yards per play6.4

18First downs23

4-15 · 27%Third down4-14 · 29%

1-1Fourth down1-2

3-3Red zone TDs2-4

16/30Comp / att25/47

4.6Yards per carry4.2

1Turnovers4

0Sacks allowed5 (−18 yds)

7 for 52Penalties10 for 73

31:02Possession28:58

Expected points added · nflverse model

The game in EPA

EPA per play-0.035-0.054

Dropback EPA+0.109-0.073

Rush EPA-0.166+0.002

Success rate34%43%

Explosive plays78

Plays6769

Who moved the needle

J.McCarthyDropbacks: 21+8.3

C.JonesTargets: 3+4.2

T.ShoughDropbacks: 32+3.5

J.WinstonCarries: 3+2.6

M.NabersTargets: 16+2.4

T.TracyTargets: 3+2.1

Cost their side the most

J.WinstonDropbacks: 30-12.0

M.FieldsTargets: 8-5.8

K.MillerCarries: 20-4.1

Box score

New Orleans Saints

Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
Tyler ShoughQB	16/30	144	4.8	3	0	0-0	77.1	99.9

Rushing	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Kendre MillerRB	20	70	3.5	0	11
CJ DonaldsonRB	6	39	6.5	0	17
Alvin KamaraRB	7	34	4.9	0	15
Tyler ShoughQB	5	32	6.4	1	25

Receiving	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Chris OlaveWR	4	7	43	10.8	1	18
Devaughn VeleWR	3	6	42	14.0	0	18
Alvin KamaraRB	2	4	35	17.5	1	31
Oscar DelpTE	2	2	10	5.0	0	8
Bryce LanceWR	2	4	9	4.5	1	7
Barion BrownWR	1	1	5	5.0	0	5
Juwan JohnsonTE	0	2	0	0.0	0	0
Noah FantTE	0	1	0	0.0	0	0
Kendre MillerRB	2	2	0	0.0	0	0
CJ DonaldsonRB	0	1	0	0.0	0	0

Defense	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HTS
Pete WernerLB	11	5	1	1	1	1
Martin Emerson Jr.CB	7	7	0	1	4	0
Quincy RileyCB	6	6	0	1	1	0
Carl GrandersonDE	5	1	1.5	0	0	2
Justin ReidS	4	2	0	0	0	0
Julian BlackmonS	4	2	0	0	1	0
Tyree WilsonDE	4	1	0	0	0	0
Vernon BroughtonDT	4	1	0	0	0	0
Danny StutsmanLB	4	1	0	0	1	0
Decamerion RichardsonCB	3	3	0	0	0	0

Kicking	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Daniel Carlson	2/3	66.7	58	4/4	10

New York Giants

Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
J.J. McCarthyQB	11/21	243	11.6	1	1	1-8	77.2	90.0
Jameis WinstonQB	14/26	152	5.8	1	2	4-10	8.0	52.1

Rushing	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
J.J. McCarthyQB	2	26	13.0	0	28
Darnell MooneyWR	1	20	20.0	0	20
Tyrone Tracy Jr.RB	6	18	3.0	1	5
Devin SingletaryRB	4	14	3.5	0	9
Jameis WinstonQB	3	4	1.3	0	3
Najee Harris	4	2	0.5	0	4

Receiving	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Malik NabersWR	12	15	165	13.8	0	46
Isaiah LikelyTE	6	11	99	16.5	1	24
Charlie JonesWR	2	3	66	33.0	0	49
Tyrone Tracy Jr.RB	2	3	27	13.5	1	17
Devin SingletaryRB	1	1	19	19.0	0	19
Malachi FieldsWR	2	8	19	9.5	0	11
Darnell MooneyWR	0	2	0	0.0	0	0

Defense	TOT	SOLO	TFL	PD
Jevon HollandS	9	6	1	1
Tremaine EdmundsLB	9	5	0	0
DJ ReaderDT	6	5	1	0
Arvell ReeseLB	6	4	0	0
Ar'Darius WashingtonS	5	5	0	0
Kayvon ThibodeauxLB	5	2	0	0
Dru PhillipsCB	4	3	0	0
Deonte BanksCB	4	2	0	1
Greg Newsome IICB	3	2	0	1
Shelby HarrisDT	3	1	0	0

Kicking	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Dominic ZvadaPK	2/2	100.0	41	1/1	7

Before kickoff · Regular season through week 5 · rank out of 32

Where it was expected to be decided

1Giants third-down offense vs Saints third-down defense
The Giants' third-down offense ranks 8th in third-down conversion rate (44.9%, 69 third downs) against a Saints third-down defense ranked 29th (50.0% allowed, 58 third downs faced).
8thNYG offense21 spots apart29thNO defense
2Giants takeaway defense vs Saints ball security
The Giants' takeaway defense ranks 10th in turnovers per game (1.4 takeaways a game, 5 games) and faces a Saints ball security ranked 29th (2.0 giveaways a game, 5 games).
29thNO offense19 spots apart10thNYG defenseSmall sample, read with care Why sample size matters
3Saints red-zone offense vs Giants red-zone defense
The Saints' red-zone offense ranks 5th in red-zone touchdown rate (72%, 18 trips) against a Giants red-zone defense ranked 22nd (64% allowed, 14 trips faced).
5thNO offense17 spots apart22ndNYG defenseSmall sample, read with care Why sample size matters

When the Saints have the ballEdge NO · +10 ranks

NO dropback offenseEPA per dropbackNYG pass defense

22nd-0.03224 dropbacks

+0.07 allowed181 dropbacks faced21st

NO run gameEPA per rushNYG run defense

17th-0.09110 rushes

NO +10

-0.02 allowed107 rushes faced27th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Giants have the ballEdge NYG · +11 ranks

NYG dropback offenseEPA per dropbackNO pass defense

15th+0.10187 dropbacks

NYG +11

+0.15 allowed176 dropbacks faced26th

NYG run gameEPA per rushNO run defense

24th-0.18136 rushes

+0.02 allowed133 rushes faced31st

Third downEdge NYG · +21 ranks

NO third-down offensethird-down conversion rateNYG third-down defense

7th45.8%72 third downs

NO +20

46.4% allowed56 third downs faced27th

NYG third-down offensethird-down conversion rateNO third-down defense

8th44.9%69 third downs

NYG +21

50.0% allowed58 third downs faced29th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge NO · +17 ranks

NO red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateNYG red-zone defense

5th72%18 trips

NO +17

64% allowed14 trips faced22nd

NYG red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateNO red-zone defense

12th64%14 trips

61% allowed23 trips faced18th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge NYG · +10 ranks

NO big-play offenseexplosive-play rateNYG defense against big plays

30th6.3%334 plays

NYG +10

9.7% allowed288 plays faced20th

NYG big-play offenseexplosive-play rateNO defense against big plays

29th6.5%323 plays

10.7% allowed309 plays faced23rd

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge NO · +10 ranks

NO pass protectionsack rateNYG pass rush

16th5.8% sacked224 dropbacks

NO +10

4.4% of dropbacks181 dropbacks faced26th

NYG pass protectionsack rateNO pass rush

24th7.0% sacked187 dropbacks

5.7% of dropbacks176 dropbacks faced18th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge NYG · +19 ranks

NO ball securityturnovers per gameNYG takeaway defense

29th2.0 giveaways a game5 games

NYG +19

1.4 takeaways a game5 games10th

NYG ball securityturnovers per gameNO takeaway defense

21st1.4 giveaways a game5 games

0.8 takeaways a game5 games26th

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

Sample: NO 5 games, 334 offensive and 309 defensive plays · NYG 5 games, 323 offensive and 288 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Starters, confirmed

ConfirmedEvery game →

Confirmed from the official snap counts: at every position group the starters are the snap leaders. Expected lineup = today's depth chart, adjusted for the injury report.

Expected, did not start

Alvin KamaraRB→ Kendre Miller

Jordyn TysonWR→ Bryce Lance

Kelvin Banks Jr.LT→ Erik McCoy

William ShermanC→ Asim Richards

Cesar RuizRG→ Jeremiah Wright

Nathan ShepherdNT→ Colby Wooden

Kaden EllissLILB→ Danny Stutsman

Kool-Aid McKinstryLCB→ Quincy Riley

J.J. McCarthyQB→ Jameis Winston

Patrick RicardFB→ Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Aaron StinnieRG→ Francis Mauigoa