NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 05: Jaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants scrambles during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints in the game at Caesars Superdome on October 05, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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Brian Daboll, head coach of the New York Giants, didn’t mince words as he took the podium following New York’s 26-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon.
“Hard to win when you turn the ball over five times, and it was on five consecutive drives,” Daboll said.
The numbers back Daboll up, of course. Per Stathead.com, the last time a team posted a turnover margin of 5 or better and lost was November 18, 2012, when Arizona lost to Atlanta. It’s happened just four times this century, and team records in games when their turnover margin is +5 or greater over that time is 143-4.
Even so, there was little in Sunday’s performance that should have been unexpected. The turnovers came from Jaxson Dart, who provided plenty of hope and reminders of his inexperience in equal measure. He threw for 202 yards on 26-for-40 passing and rushed for another 55 yards, but his two interceptions and, most critically, lost fumble altered the momentum of a game the Giants once led, 14-3.
“Felt like we had a lot of opportunities,” Dart told reporters following the game. “We were just moving the ball down the field, and then we would just hurt ourselves. In the NFL, every team is a good team, every team has talent. And I just felt like we just gave the game away by those turnovers.”
The giveaways along did not serve as the lone red flag out of Sunday, though Dart, along with running back Cam Skattebo’s fumble, would seem to reflect the reality of featuring a rookie quarterback and rookie running back in tandem.
Darius Slayton also played a forgettable game. In addition to his own fumble, which turned a Giants drive late in the first half that had already advanced into field goal range into a Saints opportunity to add a field goal as the first half ended, Slayton had numerous drops on plays Dart threw him catchable balls.
The Giants also failed to record a sack on the afternoon, giving Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler a chance to find his rhythm, his comfort more evident as the afternoon wore on.
In case you were wondering: the only time a team has ever posted a turnover margin of plus-5, avoided getting sacked at all, and still lost a game happened October 4, 1970, when the Jets lost to the Bills, 34-31.
However predetermined this loss was by performance, it drops New York to 1-4 heading into a short week and a game against the defending champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. And finding a way to get more pressure on Jalen Hurts will be a must. So will holding onto the football.
But the bigger question is just who will catch the balls Dart throws other than tight end Theo Johnson, a second-year player himself who collected a pair of touchdown receptions.
Slayton left the game with a hamstring injury. Beaux Collins got his first targets of the season, but provided a lone catch for seven yards, while Jalin Hyatt also logged time but dropped a very catchable long ball from Dart.
It is up to the Giants to figure out how to balance their long-term plan, which could mean dealing veterans for future draft capital, against a short-term need to bring in receiving help. This is less about winning in 2025, and more about maximizing what Dart can gain from his on-field experience this season.
But to his credit, Dart took ownership of what happened Sunday.
“Gotta cut that out,” Dart said. “And I think that starts with me just being a leader. Obviously, some of those came from me, and I’ve got to be a better example. I’ve got to be a better leader. And I think just in those situations, I can talk to the guys in the huddle and just remind them about ball security. So as a quarterback, I put those on myself.”
That is fair, but it also serves as a reminder that when the Giants decided to go with Dart, they entered a period where losses would not be the primary measurement of the 2025 NFL season for New York. Growing pains are the necessary, even expected consequence here.