Graham Gano’s attempted 35-yard field goal to tie the game with 11 seconds remaining was blocked by Bryan Bresee, relegating the New York Giants to a 14-11 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants’ latest embarrassment was their eighth consecutive loss, dropping them to 2-11 on the season and keeping their hopes for the No. 1 pick at the 2025 NFL Draft alive.
Cutting a 14-3 deficit to just three in the fourth quarter, the Giants drove into field-goal range in large part behind a 25-yard scramble from quarterback Drew Lock on 4th-&-10 inside 50 seconds to go.
Lock then hit rookie receiver Malik Nabers for a 23-yard completion to get to the Saints’ 12-yard line, but a false start on offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu killed New York’s momentum, ultimately leading to Gano’s failed field goal attempt.
In his second straight start, Lock grew into the game to eliminate a nightmare first quarter in which he failed to complete a single pass on eight attempts. He finished the day completing 21-of-49 passes for 227 yards and an interception.
The Saints unleashed its longest scoring drive in eight years, going 98 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. Kendre Miller powered in from eight yards out to cap out the drive.
Lock completed his first passes of the afternoon to Daniel Bellinger and Malik Nabers to get the Giants into field-goal range. He went 6-for-11 for 52 yards in the second quarter. Gano converted from 43 yards out to get the hosts on the board four minutes into the second.
The Giants appeared to take a rare lead with 6:33 left in the second quarter when Ihmir Smith-Marsette took a Matthew Hayball punt and returned it 56 yards to the house. But his second-career punt-return touchdown and Big Blue’s longest play of the season was canceled out by a hold on Greg Stroman.
As the Giants’ defense tried to hold firm, they broke a dubious NFL-record drought with 9:33 to go in the third when Tre Hawkins picked off Saints quarterback Derek Carr at the New York 17-yard line. It was the first time since Week 1 that the Giants’ defense recorded an interception, ending an 11-game stretch that set a new league record.
But after the offense went three-and-out yet again, the Saints extended their lead when Carr hit Juwan Johnson from 11 years out to make it a 14-3 game with 3:40 left in the quarter.
The Giants and Gano had a 48-yard field goal wiped away because of a personal foul on offensive lineman Jake Kubas, which forced New York to punt for the eighth time in 10 possessions.
Tyrone Tracy lumbered through a sea of bodies from a couple of yards out to cut the Giants’ lead to five, which shrunk to three when Malik Nabers caught a deflected pass from Lock to convert a two-point conversion with 4:11 to go in regulation.
Lock went 6-of-8 for 70 yards on that scoring drive in what was the Giants’ best drive of the day at 13 pays for 80 yards.
The Giants’ defense forced a Saints punt in just one minute, but the offense could only get to their own 38-yard line before Lock was picked off by Demario Davis with 1:40 to go.
