NEW YORK — John Harbaugh benched Cam Skattebo for fumbling. Then the Giants gave the ball away four times anyway in a 34-27 loss to the Saints on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. But they might have found something with J.J. McCarthy. The young quarterback nearly led a miracle comeback in an electric fourth quarter that fell just short. McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown ...

J.J. McCarthy of the New York Giants passes the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J..

Al Bello/Getty Images North America/TNS

NEW YORK — John Harbaugh benched Cam Skattebo for fumbling. Then the Giants gave the ball away four times anyway in a 34-27 loss to the Saints on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

But they might have found something with J.J. McCarthy. The young quarterback nearly led a miracle comeback in an electric fourth quarter that fell just short.

McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the game’s final 11 minutes. The Giants scored 17 unanswered to roar back from a 34-10 deficit with 11:31 remaining. He also led the team in rushing with 26 yards on two carries.

Their comeback fell just short on an incompletion out of the back of the end zone intended for Isaiah Likely.

The hole was too deep because the Giants couldn’t run the ball, stop the run or protect the football. So they fell to the previously 1-4 Saints, a desperate team that had been called out by owner Gayle Benson during the week.

Jameis Winston threw two interceptions, and McCarthy threw one after replacing Winston with 11:03 left in the fourth quarter.

Harbaugh’s Giants (3-2-1) never truly recovered from a fumble by kick returner Charlie Jones late in the second quarter with the hosts leading, 10-0, although they certainly tried.

The Saints capitalized off Jones’ cough-up and scored a stunning 34 unanswered points to take a 24-point lead with 11:31 remaining on a 18-yard Tyler Shough touchdown pass to Chris Olave.

Giants safety Jason Pinnock jumpstarted the late comeback attempt by forcing and recovering a fumble by Saints running back C.J. Donaldson with 9:31 remaining on the Giants’ 48-yard line. And Pinnock’s fight became contagious for the offense.

Saints coach Kellen Moore also helped keep time on the clock by throwing the ball three times in the final minutes instead of bleeding seconds off.

Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. finished McCarthy’s first scoring drive as a Giant with his second touchdown of the game, a 5-yard rush with seven minutes to play. And McCarthy tacked on a two-point conversion pass to tight end Likely to make it 34-18.

McCarthy then hit Jones with a 49-yard pass on the Giants’ next drive to set up a 24-yard TD pass to Likely with 5:06 to play to draw within 34-24 after a failed two-point conversion pass to Malik Nabers.

As the Giants defense held serve, Harbaugh made a curious decision on the Giants’ next offensive drive.

On third-and-6 at the Saints’ 23-yard line, Harbaugh elected to have McCarthy spike the ball so Dominic Zvada could kick a 41-yard field goal to draw within 34-27. That preserved the two-minute warning but meant the Giants were not trying for a touchdown to draw within three points so that a TD on their next drive could win the game.

That felt like Harbaugh playing for overtime a second straight week following last weekend’s 27-27 tie at Washington. His team will turn around now and fly to Houston to take on the Texans next Sunday before their Week 8 bye.

The Giants coughed up a 10-0 lead with 2:27 to play in the second quarter due to bad ball security.

Saints kicker Daniel Carlson drilled a 58-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining to draw within 10-3. Then returner Jones fumbled the ensuing kickoff, forced by Saints linebacker Isaiah Stalbird and recovered by tight end Oscar Delp.

The Saints took over on the Giants’ 28-yard line. Shough immediately escaped the pocket for a 25-yard quarterback run down to the 3.

Then Shough hit wide receiver Bryce Lance for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to tie the game at 10 apiece going into halftime, drawing an audible sigh from the home crowd.

The fans knew that New Orleans was getting the ball to start the second half with a chance to take control of the game.

Winston had built the Giants’ early 7-0 lead with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tracy with 5:14 remaining in the first quarter.

Winston hit Likely for a 24-yard gain against a Saints zone to draw near the red zone, then the quarterback stepped up and took a hit to find Tracy, who made Saints linebacker Pete Werner miss and leapt into the end zone for the score.

Rookie Giants linebacker Arvell Reese kept the Saints off the board by tossing Saints left guard David Edwards so far back that the lineman’s legs tackled Saints running back Kendre Miller.

That forced New Orleans back to a 55-yard field goal that Carlson missed left.

Winston then hit Nabers for a 19-yard completion with good pass protection by Tracy — and used a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Saints’ Vernon Broughton for a blow to Winston’s head — to set up Zvada for a 34-yard field goal.

That put the Giants up 10-0 closing in on the two-minute warning.

But the Saints’ Barion Brown promptly returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards. And a 12-yard Shough completion to Chris Olave set up Carlson’s 58-yard field goal, giving way to Jones’ fumble and a permanent shift of momentum.

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