The New Orleans Saints ended a three-game losing streak with a 34–27 victory over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on October 18. At 2–4, they have a result to build on. The question is how much of Sunday’s progress can carry into the next game.

That is the focus of The Sports Coma with Big Q: Drive Time. The Saints delivered a dominant stretch of football, then needed to withstand a late rally. Both parts belong in the evaluation.

Watch the full Drive Time show:

Four takeaways changed the afternoon

According to the Saints’ official recap, Isaiah Stalbird forced a kickoff fumble that Oscar Delp recovered, helping New Orleans erase an early 10–0 deficit. Martin Emerson Jr. intercepted both Jameis Winston and replacement quarterback J.J. McCarthy, while Julian Blackmon added another interception.

Those plays gave the offense additional possessions and favorable opportunities. Chase Young and Carl Granderson also supplied 1.5 sacks apiece in a five-sack team effort. The Saints showed how disruption can change a game even when the offense takes time to settle.

Shough produced touchdowns; the passing game still needs consistency

Shough finished 16-of-30 for 144 passing yards and three touchdowns, adding 32 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. Four total scores mattered enormously. The modest passing output also leaves room for the offense to become more dependable between scoring opportunities.

There were useful schematic answers. In his postgame comments, Shough explained that Bryce Lance’s touchdown came on a rub concept after New York missed a coverage switch. He described Kamara’s touchdown as a flat-route completion turned into a big play.

Those examples point toward a practical approach: create clear reads and put playmakers in space.

The running game gave Moore something to build around

The official game notes list a season-high 175 rushing yards. Kendre Miller handled 20 carries, giving New Orleans a sustained commitment to the ground game.

Kamara’s 31-yard touchdown reception also carried historic significance: he became the sixth NFL player with at least 5,000 career rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards.

Offensive line depth remains part of the story. In Sunday’s postgame availability, Kellen Moore said Cesar Ruiz had exited with a knee issue and praised Jeremiah Wright’s blocking. The next task is to preserve the physical approach while preparing the line for whatever personnel combination is available.

A 24-point lead should offer more control

New Orleans scored 34 consecutive points to move ahead 34–10. The Giants then scored 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter, with McCarthy’s final attempt to tie the game falling incomplete in the end zone.

Moore acknowledged afterward that the effort to rest Shough and Erik McCoy had not worked as intended. That makes the finish a coaching issue as well as an execution issue. The offense must extend possessions, and the defense must keep explosive gains from turning a comfortable advantage into another emergency.

Our full Saints–Giants game recap details the scoring swings. The wider accountability discussion in The Blueprint to Fixing the Saints also remains relevant: improvement needs to show up repeatedly in preparation, personnel decisions and situational football.

Turning point? The follow-through will decide

The encouraging signs were concrete: takeaways, pressure, rushing production and touchdowns from multiple sources. Calling the win a turning point requires those strengths to survive the next test, along with better control of the closing minutes.

That test comes against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Stade de France on October 25, with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Central. New Orleans can carry confidence to Paris. It also has a clear assignment: turn productive stretches into a complete four-quarter performance.

Who Dat Nation: Did the Giants win change your outlook?

Watch Big Q’s full Drive Time show and leave your take in the comments.

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