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New Orleans Saints break into win column with well-rounded victory over Giants

"We were working for a win. We ain't waiting. We've been in the lab working"

Check out the game action photos from the New Orleans Saints game against the New York Giants for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season on Oct. 5, 2025 at Caesars Superdome.

It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but…

Wait.

Actually, for a team thirsting for victory and desperately needing validation for its mid-week work and game-to-game improvement, the New Orleans Saints' 26-14 victory on Sunday over the Giants in the Caesars Superdome was fairly pristine.

The Saints (1-4) burst into the win column under first-year coach Kellen Moore, and earned Spencer Rattler's first victory as a starting quarterback, with enough complementary football to earn the exhale they almost certainly emitted Sunday.

The wait is over. Or something like that.

"We ain't been waiting for s---," said edge rusher Cameron Jordan, who recovered a fumble, and had a quarterback hit and three tackles. "We were working for a win. We ain't waiting. We've been in the lab working."

Part of that work involved the usual emphasis on forcing turnovers, which helped produce unusual results. New Orleans forced a turnover on five consecutive offensive possessions by New York — fumble recovery by safety Jonas Sanker, fumble recovery by Jordan, fumble recovery by safety Jordan Howden, and two interceptions from cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry — and became the first team to accomplish that since Kansas City on Sept. 25, 2016.

"We've been talking about how we need to eliminate penalties, we've been talking about how we need to force turnovers," Jordan said. "Are we starting to eliminate penalties? I think we had two or three pre-snap that we wish we could have back.

"(Turnovers were) huge. We've been stuck at that '1' number, we finally broke that. Plus-5 in the turnover ratio, and that's how you get a win."

The Saints buckled down after a rocky opening.

After winning the coin flip and opting to receive, New Orleans failed on its fast-start hopes by going three-and-out — including a pre-snap penalty.

New York (1-4) promptly drove 59 yards in eight plays for a touchdown, finishing on Jaxson Dart's 1-yard pass to Theo Johnson.

The Saints responded with a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ended on Blake Grupe's 28-yard field goal, but the Giants countered and one-upped with a 70-yard drive that resulted in another Dart to Johnson hookup, from 15 yards, to give New York a 14-3 lead.

But from there, the Saints went on a 23-0 run to finish off New York and its rookie quarterback, who posted his first NFL win last week.

Grupe kicked a 53-yard field goal, and after the defense forced a punt for its first stop of the game, Rattler (20 of 30 for 225 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions) connected with receiver Rashid Shaheed on a perfectly-executed, 87-yard touchdown throw.

It was New Orleans' longest play from scrimmage this season, the fifth-longest in franchise history, the longest completion for Rattler, the longest reception for Shaheed and the 11th time since 2022 that Shaheed has posted a touchdown of 40 yards or more — third-most in the NFL during that span.

"As soon as the ball was snapped, I saw that I had one-on-one with the safety," Shaheed said. "So I tried to sell that I was going across the field and once I saw his hips turn, I broke toward the corner and the rest was history. Spence laid out a great ball, the O-line did great."

With the Saints trailing 14-13: They forced a punt and Grupe missed a 52-yard field goal; linebacker Demario Davis forced a fumble after a 9-yard completion, Sanker recovered and returned to the Giants' 41, and Grupe kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half for a 16-14 lead. Dart fumbled on the opening drive of the second half, Jordan recovered and Grupe finished the next drive with a 28-yard field goal for a 19-14 lead.

The turnover procession continued on the Giants' next possession when, on the first play of the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Bryan Bresee forced a fumble by running back Cam Skattebo on second-and-7 from the Saints' 12-yard line, and Howden scooped it and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown and 26-14 lead.

"I saw (the ball), like, behind a lineman, and I saw open grass," Howden said. "I picked it up and just, run. Run for my life."

New York's next two drives ended on interceptions by McKinstry, the first two of his career, and on the final possession of the game the Saints held the Giants out of the end zone on fourth down with 40 seconds left.

"It feels good, man," Rattler said. "It feels good to get that first win. It was a team win. Defense played great, O-line played elite today."

Head inside the New Orleans Saints locker room postgame after the Saints' win against the New York Giants in Week 5 of the 2025 NFL Season presented by Bud Light.

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