Tyler Shough threw three touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown and the visiting New Orleans Saints held off the New York Giants 34-27 on Sunday afternoon in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Saints (2-4) ended a three-game losing streak as they rushed for a season-high 175 yards and Martin Emerson Jr. had two of the team’s three interceptions.
Jameis Winston passed for one touchdown and two interceptions for the Giants (3-2-1) before being replaced by J.J. McCarthy, who led a dramatic late comeback.
On the first possession of the second half, Shough threw a short pass to Alvin Kamara, who turned the play into a 31-yard touchdown that gave New Orleans a 17-10 lead.
Shough sneaked 1 yard for a touchdown and the Saints’ fourth score in as many possessions, pushing the lead to 24-10. Daniel Carlson’s 51-yard field goal increased the lead to 27-10 at the end of the third quarter.
Julian Blackmon’s interception of Winston led to Shough’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave to expand the lead to 34-10.
McCarthy replaced Winston and threw an interception before driving the Giants to Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s 5-yard touchdown and a subsequent 2-point conversion, McCarthy’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely (with a failed 2-point try) and Dominic Zvada’s 41-yard field goal to trim the lead to 34-27 with 2:04 left.
New York forced a punt and McCarthy, who finished with 243 passing yards, drove the Giants to the Saints 14, but they turned the ball over on downs with five seconds left.
Malik Nabers finished with 12 catches for 165 yards for New York.
The Giants’ second possession was a 12-play, 93-yard drive that ended with Winston’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Tracy to give them a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Zvada’s 34-yard field goal increased the lead to 10-0.
Carlson kicked a 58-yard field goal for New Orleans’ first points, and on the ensuing kickoff Charlie Jones fumbled and Oscar Delp recovered for the Saints at the New York 28. On fourth-and-goal, Shough threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Lance to tie the score 10-10 at halftime.