The New York Giants lost to the New Orleans Saints in a frustrating fashion at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, a wild affair that fans and pundits are still unpacking.
Here are four things we learned from the 34-27 loss.
Still on top in the NFC East
The loss dropped the Giants to 3-2-1, but they will head into Week 7 still all alone atop the division. The Eagles and Cowboys both lost on Sunday and are each 2-4. The Commanders (1-3-1) play in San Francisco on Monday night and, even if they win, will still be behind the Giants in the division.
The Giants aren't playing good football, we know that, but the rest of the division is disintegrating. Philadelphia will be without quarterback Jalen Hurts for the foreseeable future. Dallas is struggling all around, and their head coach, Brian
Schottenheimer, is on the hot seat. Washington could contend for the division if they can keep quarterback Jayden Daniels healthy.
There should be no quarterback controversy
Has Jameis Winston topped out? It looks that way. The coaches made the right move by pulling him in the second half and giving J.J. McCarthy a shot. Although it was garbage time and the Saints' defense was gassed and had one foot on the bus with a 24-point lead, McCarthy showed the world that he can play.
After the game, head coach John Harbaugh was not ready to talk about the quarterback situation and was smart to avoid it. Conventional wisdom is that the Giants will start Winston one more time this coming week in Houston and insert McCarthy strategically into the game.
The Giants then head into their bye week. They will likely make the full-time switch to J.J. then. They host the Eagles at home in Week 9.
They have at least one superstar
Wide receiver Malik Nabers had 12 receptions for 165 yards on Sunday, his third consecutive game with over 100 receiving yards. He has buried all doubt about the status of his surgically-repaired knee.
The definition of a superstar? A player who the opponent prepares for and still can't stop. Nabers has become that type of player.
Punitive actions prove to be costly
The coaches are doing the right thing by benching players who continue to make mistakes. Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. paid the price earlier in the season for his fumbles. Center John Michael Schmitz lost his job due to underperformance. It's the proper way to run, well, any type of organization.
The latest move, the one where running back Cam Skattebo got benched for fumbling last week, came back to bite them. One of the keys to victory against the Saints was to establish the run against their 30th-ranked defense. They could only do that effectively with Skattebo in the mix. Instead, Skattebo played just six snaps and had no touches.
Did the coaches cost the Giants the game, or was it Skattebo by his actions?
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: What we learned from New York Giants' 34-27 loss to New Orleans Saints
