EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints fell behind by 10 points, went up 24 and still needed to make a stop on fourth down in the end zone to hold on. They'll take it.
“Wild game,” coach Kellen Moore said.
Shough threw touchdown passes to Bryce Lance, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave and ran for a score, Isaiah Stalbird forced a fumble on a kick return and Saints scored 34 consecutive points on the way to defeating the New York Giants 34-27 on Sunday and ending their three game-losing streak.
“We will enjoy the win, we earned it, but when we are on a team’s neck, we have to step on it and finish, dominate and be resilient,” said cornerback Martin Emerson, who had two interceptions. “We can learn from this game. We made some big plays, but there are some where we can get coached up.”
The Saints (2-4) trailed 10-0 with 90 seconds left in the first half. After Daniel Carlson got them on the board with a 58-yard field goal, Stalbird's big hit that dislodged the ball and Oscar Delp's recovery of Charlie Jones' fumble on the ensuing kickoff changed the momentum.
“It was big,” Giants coach John Harbaugh said. “The whole sequence there was big. We let them back in the game.”
Lance's first NFL TD catch six games into his rookie season and Carlson's extra point tied it with 1 second remaining before halftime. Kamara evading a tackle by Jason Pinnock — who started in place of injured safety Tyler Nubin — and getting into the end zone put New Orleans ahead less than three minutes into the third quarter.
Fans streamed to the exits after Jameis Winston threw his second interception of the afternoon early in the fourth, and the stands were half-empty by the time J.J. McCarthy led multiple scoring drives and fell just short of an improbable comeback. McCarthy's throw to the end zone on fourth-and-1 in the final seconds fell incomplete, sending the Saints to France on a winning note.
Shough, who has been playing through broken bones in his left, nonthrowing hand, was 16 of 30 for 144 yards and rushed for 32, just slightly less than the 34 yards New York's running backs combined for.
“It’s obviously something I have to manage throughout the weeks,” Shough said. “It hasn’t really affected me. It’s getting better every single day. It doesn’t affect my throwing, just on a couple of handoffs.”
With Cam Skattebo apparently benched after losing a fumble in overtime last week at Washington that contributed to the game ending in a tie — he did not get a single carry — the Giants (3-2-1) struggled to get much going offensively until it was too late. Harbaugh said it was not by design that Skattebo would have zero carries.
“I didn’t expect to have zero, but I was expecting to not play as much, just like I did,” said Skattebo, who was on the field for six snaps. “It is what it is. I got punished for what I did, and I understand.”
Winston was 14 of 26 for 152 yards, while McCarthy threw for 243 yards in just over 11 minutes.
“I myself, personally, just left a lot of plays out there that I could have executed better on,” Winston said. “(McCarthy) was able to rally us up, and he did a great job. I was proud of him. Proud of what he did.”
Winston's picks, Jones' fumble, several missed tackles, ill-timed penalties and the attrition of missing key players in the secondary contributed to New York's first loss since Week 2 at the Los Angeles Rams. Harbaugh said it was too early to make a call on who his starting quarterback will be moving forward.
Injuries
Saints: Right guard Cesar Ruiz left late in the first half with a knee injury. … Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry departed because of Moore said was a migraine.
Giants: Cornerback Greg Newsome was concussed in the third quarter. ... Wide receiver Darnell Mooney left with a neck injury. ... Left tackle Andrew Thomas was evaluated for a concussion.
Up next
Saints: Play the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday in Paris.
Giants: Visit the Houston Texans next Sunday before their bye week.
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Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press