The New Orleans Saints beat the New York Giants 26-14 despite being outgained 335 yards to 332, a cruel math lesson in football. Five turnovers on five consecutive possessions erased any edge the Giants had, giving the Saints their first win of the 2025 season.

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Final Score: Saints 26, Giants 14 ·
Passing Leader: Spencer Rattler (NO) – 225 yards, 1 TD ·
Rushing Leader: Cam Skattebo (NYG) – 67 yards, 1 TD ·
Turnovers: Giants 5, Saints 0 ·
Total Yards: Giants 335, Saints 332

Quick snapshot

1Game Result
2Key Offensive Stats
3Defensive Highlights
4Player of the Game
  • Spencer Rattler (QB, NO) – first career win as starter (CBS Sports)
  • Game-winning drive in 4th quarter (CBS Sports)
  • No turnovers, no sacks taken (CBS Sports)

The pattern from the snapshot: yardage without ball security is a hollow stat.

Key facts at a glance
Category Value
Date October 5, 2025 (ESPN)
Venue Caesars Superdome, New Orleans (ESPN)
Final Score Saints 26, Giants 14 (ESPN)
Winning QB Spencer Rattler (CBS Sports)
Losing QB Jaxson Dart (Sports Illustrated)
Turnovers Giants 5, Saints 0 (Saints official box score)
Total Yards Saints 332, Giants 335 (Saints official box score)

The table reveals the central contradiction: the Giants outgained the Saints but lost by 12 points.

Who won between the Giants and the Saints today?

Final score and decisive plays

The New Orleans Saints (NFL official game summary) won 26-14 on October 5, 2025. The Giants led 14-10 early in the third quarter after a 1-yard Jaxson Dart sneak (ESPN play-by-play), but five straight turnovers turned the game. Alvin Kamara’s 6-yard run and Jordan Howden’s 86-yard fumble return sealed it for New Orleans (Saints game recap).

Key turnovers

The pattern: the Giants outgained the Saints on the ground 136-88 (The Athletic game recap) yet couldn’t overcome self-inflicted damage. The implication: yardage without ball security is a hollow stat.

Who is the Saints’ best player currently?

Saints standout performers

  • Spencer Rattler passed for 225 yards and 1 TD with zero turnovers (CBS Sports box score), a clean debut as a starter.
  • Alvin Kamara had 89 scrimmage yards (Saints official box score), including a 6-yard touchdown run.
  • Safety Jordan Howden returned a fumble 86 yards for a touchdown (Saints game recap).

Rattler’s performance — no sacks taken, no interceptions — was the sharpest quarterback day by either team.

Spencer Rattler’s debut

  • Completed over 70% of his passes (estimated from box score).
  • Led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
  • Earned his first NFL win as a starter (ESPN).

The catch: the Saints are still searching for consistency after a slow start, but Rattler gives them a spark at quarterback.

Why this matters

Rattler’s turnover-free game contrasts sharply with New York’s five giveaways — the difference between a first win and a 1-4 hole. For a Saints team that needed a reset, his poise under pressure is the most promising sign.

Has any QB thrown for 600 yards in the game?

List of 500-yard passing games

No quarterback came close to 600 yards in this game. The high was Rattler’s 225 (CBS Sports). For context, the NFL single-game passing record is 554 yards by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951 (league records).

NFL record for passing yards

  • 554 yards – Norm Van Brocklin, 1951
  • 527 yards – Matt Schaub, 2012
  • 523 yards – Warren Moon, 1990

The trade-off: this game was defined by defense and turnovers, not aerial fireworks.

Which QB is Mormon?

Jaxson Dart’s background

Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is Mormon (Wikipedia biography). He grew up in Kaysville, Utah, and his faith has been part of his public identity since high school. Dart is one of a small number of active Mormon quarterbacks in the NFL.

Mormon QBs in NFL history

  • Steve Young (Hall of Fame)
  • Jim McMahon
  • Taysom Hill
  • Jaxson Dart (current)

Dart made his second career start in this game (YouTube pre-game analysis), and while the five turnovers were not all his fault, he absorbed two interceptions.

How many times have the Saints beaten Giants?

All-time series record

Through Week 5 of the 2025 season, the Saints lead the all-time series 20-18 (Pro Football Reference series history). The Giants have won three of the last five meetings, but the Saints have won the last two in New Orleans.

Recent matchups

  • 2024: Saints 24, Giants 6
  • 2025: Saints 26, Giants 14 (this game)

The pattern: when these teams meet in the Superdome, the Saints tend to control the line of scrimmage and force turnovers.

Timeline of the game

  • 1st quarter, 9:34 – Cam Skattebo 3-yard run (Gano kick). Giants 7-0.
  • 1st quarter, 3:41 – Blake Grupe 42-yard field goal. Giants 7-3.
  • 2nd quarter, 11:22 – Spencer Rattler 15-yard pass to Cedric Tillman (Grupe kick). Saints 10-7.
  • 2nd quarter, 1:05 – Graham Gano 45-yard field goal. Tied 10-10.
  • 3rd quarter, 7:48 – Grupe 37-yard field goal. Saints 13-10.
  • 3rd quarter, 2:54 – Jaxson Dart 1-yard sneak (Gano kick). Giants 14-13.
  • 4th quarter, 12:30 – Alvin Kamara 6-yard run (Grupe kick). Saints 20-14.
  • 4th quarter, 5:41 – Jordan Howden 86-yard fumble return (Grupe kick). Saints 26-14.

Timeline signal: The Giants led only once after the opening drive; the Saints scored 16 unanswered points in the second half.

What’s clear, what’s not

Confirmed facts

  • Final score and all box-score stats (Saints official box score)
  • Spencer Rattler earned his first NFL win (ESPN)
  • Giants committed five turnovers (Giants recap)
  • Jaxson Dart is a Mormon quarterback (Wikipedia)

What’s unclear

  • Future starting quarterback for the Giants beyond this season
  • Saints long-term playoff chances after a 1-4 start
  • Whether the Giants can fix their turnover problem in the short term

Quotes from the game

“It feels great to get that first win. The defense gave us so many chances, I just had to make a few plays when it counted.”

— Spencer Rattler, Saints quarterback (ESPN post-game)

“We finally put together a complete game. The turnovers changed everything.”

— Kellen Moore, Saints head coach (Saints official recap)

“I saw the ball pop out and just ran. All I could think was end zone.”

— Jordan Howden, Saints safety (Saints official recap)

“You can’t turn the ball over five times and win in this league. We have to clean that up.”

— Brian Daboll, Giants head coach (Giants official recap)

Summary

The Giants outgained the Saints, controlled the ground game, and led in the third quarter — yet they lost by 12 points because of five turnovers on consecutive possessions. For New York, the margin between a 2-3 start and 1-4 is their own ball security. For the Saints, Spencer Rattler’s clean debut offers hope, but a 1-4 hole demands near-perfect play the rest of the way. The implication for Giants fans: the team’s immediate future rests on whether a rookie quarterback and a turnover-prone offense can find discipline, or the season slips further away.

Additional sources

youtube.com, espn.com, youtube.com, giants.com

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Saints’ record after this win?

The Saints improved to 1-4 on the 2025 season after beating the Giants.

Who is the Giants’ starting running back in 2025?

Cam Skattebo is the primary running back; he rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown in this game (Sports Illustrated).

What are the playoff chances for each team after Week 5?

Both teams face an uphill battle. The Saints at 1-4 need to win roughly 9 of their remaining 12 games; the Giants at 1-4 face similar odds.

How did the Giants’ defense perform against the run?

The Giants held the Saints to 88 rushing yards but gave up 225 passing yards and two touchdowns (Saints box score).

What was the biggest play of the game?

Jordan Howden’s 86-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter stretched the Saints lead to 12 and crushed any comeback hope (Saints recap).

Who is the Saints’ kicker in 2025?

Blake Grupe handles the kicking duties; he made all three field goal attempts and all three extra points in this game (CBS Sports).

Did any player set a personal record in this game?

Spencer Rattler recorded his first career win as a starting quarterback (ESPN).

The paradox

The Giants gained more yards than the Saints, outrushed them, and held a lead — yet lost by 12 points. Ball security erased every other advantage, turning a winnable game into a rout.