The first-place New York Giants did not do anything to help themselves in the NFC East as they hosted the New Orleans Saints in Week 6. The Giants fell behind by a 34-10 margin, mounted a furious comeback but ended up falling short and suffering a 34-27 defeat.
The game was notable for a couple of reasons. QB Jameis Winston was ineffective for the Giants and he was replaced by recently acquired J.J. McCarthy. Additionally, top running back Cam Skattebo did not get one rushing attempt in the game after fumbling four times in the team's first five games. The hard-running Skattebo is a fan favorite, and Giants fans at MetLife Stadium were chanting his name because wanted to see him carry the ball.
However, head coach John Harbaugh was not interested in currying favor with the fan base nor inserting Skattebo into the lineup. He languished on the bench throughout the game.
Giants got little from the ground game
Since the Giants had fallen far behind in the game, the running game was of little use to the home team. McCarthy scrambled twice for 26 yards and he was New York's leading ground gainer. WR Darnell Mooney had one carry for 20 yards, while Tyrone Tracy carried 6 times for 18 yards.
The Giants are trying to save their season after an early season injury to QB1 Jaxson Dart ended his year. Winston had done fairly well until he struggled against the Saints — 14 of 26 for 152 yards with 1 TD and 2 interceptions.
Harbaugh decided to replace him with the former Vikings quarterback and McCarthy responded by throwing for 243 yards in the late going and giving the Giants a surge of energy. He threw a 24-yard TD pass to Isaiah Likely to draw the Giants within one score. His last-second throw into the end zone was incomplete.