Quarterback Battle: Spencer Rattler vs Jaxson Dart
When you talk about New Orleans Saints vs New York Giants Match Player Stats, two teams collide on a Sunday afternoon, everything starts with the quarterbacks. In this matchup, Spencer Rattler of the Saints and Jaxson Dart of the Giants set the tone for their respective offenses.
From the repeated completion attempts to the way they handled pressure, both signal-callers shaped much of the statistical narrative. According to official numbers, Jaxson Dart finished with 26 completions on 40 attempts for 202 yards, including 2 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions.
On the Saints’ side, Rattler had 21 completions on 31 attempts for 244 yards and 1 touchdown, with zero interceptions logged in the box score.
Two stats jump off the page here:
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Dart threw two touchdowns early, giving the Giants a 14-3 lead, but the interceptions became critical turning points later.
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Rattler’s cleaner stat line fewer mistakes and more yardage reflected offensive efficiency that trickled down to key scoring drives.
Where Dart relied on timely passing early (and hit receivers like Theo Johnson efficiently), Rattler found big plays and explosive yardage patterns, especially setting up with his receivers downfield.
Contents
Rushing Attack: Control and Missteps
When you talk about player stats in football, rushing numbers often tell you about clock control and offensive balance.
For the Giants, Cam Skattebo led the ground game with 15 carries for 59 rushing yards, averaging close to four yards per tote.
Even Dart chipped in with 55 rushing yards on 7 scrambles, showing his willingness to extend plays.
But here’s the part that really influenced the game: the Giants lost momentum in part because of turnovers in the run game. One of the CEO-level disaster moments came when Skattebo lost a fumble near scoring range and the Saints turned that into a defensive touchdown.
On the Saints’ side, they split carries among:
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Kendre Miller (10 carries, 41 yards)
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Alvin Kamara (8 carries, 27 yards)
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Rattler included (6 carries, 21 yards)
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Taysom Hill (6 carries, -1 yard)
None of these totals look like NFL Pro Bowl numbers by themselves, but the consistent production kept the Giants’ defense honest and forced New York into key situational choices.
Notably, averaging 2.9 yards per carry overall for the Saints’ rushing offense didn’t look spectacular, but it came at crucial moments in tandem with passing success.
Receiving Corps: Who Moved the Chains?
Across the field, the receiving corps statistics paint a picture of how both offenses sustained drives and created explosive moments.
For the Giants:
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Daniel Bellinger: 4 catches, 52 yards
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Cam Skattebo: 6 catches, 45 yards
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Theo Johnson: 6 catches, 33 yards, 2 TDs
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Darius Slayton: 3 catches, 31 yards
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Wan’Dale Robinson: 5 catches, 30 yards
Those numbers show balance, but also inconsistency. Bellinger and Skattebo earned positive yardage, but Johnson’s two scores both early ended up not being enough to sustain a lead.
For the Saints:
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Rashid Shaheed: 4 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD (*including an 87-yard touchdown bomb)
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Chris Olave: 7 receptions, 59 yards
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Other receivers combined for additional 58 yards
Shaheed’s 114 receiving yards primarily on big plays shifted this game. That’s the sort of “game-changer” figure you rarely forget.
Special Teams and Defense: Hidden but Crucial Stats
Not all statistical impact shows up in the box score on offense.
Blake Grupe, the Saints’ kicker, finished with:
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4 field goals made out of 6 attempts
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Longest of 53 yards
Those points accounted for 12 of the Saints’ 26 points nearly half their total production thanks to Grupe’s strong leg.
On defense, the turnover margin is one place where the Saints dominated. The Giants turned the ball over five times, giving the Saints a massive edge in possessions and momentum. That’s five separate opportunities where the Saints got chances to score thanks to New York mistakes.
Of those turnovers, notable plays included:
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Jordan Howden’s 86-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
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Kool-Aid McKinstry’s two interceptions, which ended offensive threats by the Giants.
Defensive statistics like interception and fumble returns sometimes matter less on paper, but they define games. In this matchup, they defined it.
Team Comparison: Strategy and Execution
Looking at the bigger picture, the stat sheet tells us this game was less about domination and more about opportunism and efficiency.
Here’s a summary of how the teams stacked against each other:
| Category | New Orleans Saints | New York Giants |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 26 | 14 |
| Total Net Yards | 332 | 335 |
| Passing Yards | 244 | 202 |
| Rushing Yards | 88 | 136 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
| Field Goals Made | 4 | 0 |
This stat table shows that although the Giants actually gained slightly more net yardage, the Saints turned their opportunities into points and prevented the Giants from capitalizing on theirs.
Another way to frame it: yardage doesn’t win games; turnovers and points do. The Saints capitalized on everything they could, while the Giants repeatedly flinched under pressure.
Breakdown of Key Player Performances
Let’s look deeper at how individual players influenced this game.
Spencer Rattler (Saints QB)
Rattler’s stat line 21/31, 244 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT doesn’t jump off the page like a historic NFL performance. But it was a steady, mistake-free game that gave his team much needed rhythm.
His best play by far was the 87-yard touchdown to Rashid Shaheed, the explosive moment that flipped the lead and electrified Saints fans.
Rattler’s stat line stands out as smart, win-orientated football in a matchup where many quarterbacks might have wilted.
Jaxson Dart (Giants QB)
Dart’s performance 26/40, 202 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT started strong. He looked sharp early and hit open receivers for scores. But turnovers defined his day.
Two interceptions in a close game are often the difference between winning and losing. In this one, they absolutely were.
Rashid Shaheed (Saints WR)
Shaheed’s numbers 4 catches, 114 yards, 1 TD came mostly on that 87-yard missile of a catch. That play alone shifted momentum and swung the scoreboard.
When a receiver averages over 28 yards per catch, that’s not normal route running that’s field-flipping ability.
Cam Skattebo (Giants RB / WR Contributor)
Skattebo did several things right including leading the Giants with 59 rushing yards and contributing in the receiving game.
But his fumble which turned into a defensive touchdown for the Saints absolutely killed the Giants’ comeback chances.
Those moments are the kind that separate stat lines that look okay on paper from stats that actually matter in the outcome.
Kool-Aid McKinstry (Saints CB)
McKinstry’s box score shows two interceptions and that alone outweighs many offensive statistics.
A cornerback grabbing two picks in one game tells you more about how the Saints controlled the pace and forced the Giants into uncomfortable decisions.
Jordan Howden (Saints S)
The 86-yard fumble return for a touchdown might be the single most impactful play on this sheet. Defense turning into offense is not just a stat it’s a momentum earthquake.
What These Player Stats Tell Us
When you put all this together, a few clear themes emerge from this Saints-Giants matchup:
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Saints capitalized on turnovers, despite similar yardage totals.
The turnover differential was five vs zero, and that’s almost unheard of at the NFL level and almost always decides games. -
Big plays mattered more than consistent yardage.
Rattler and Shaheed connected for an explosive moment that quickly equalized and then flipped the scoreline. -
Giants started hot but couldn’t sustain it.
After going up early, errors piled up and killed their ability to string drives together.
Final Player Stats Summary Table
Below is a consolidated table summarizing the key player statistics from the Saints vs Giants game combining passing, rushing, receiving, turnovers, and special teams.
| Player | Team | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | Turnovers Forced/Committed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Rattler | Saints | 21/31, 244 yds, 1 TD | 6 car, 21 yds | 0 INT | |
| Jaxson Dart | Giants | 26/40, 202 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT | 7 car, 55 yds | 2 INT | |
| Rashid Shaheed | Saints | 4 rec, 114 yds, 1 TD | |||
| Chris Olave | Saints | 7 rec, 59 yds | |||
| Cam Skattebo | Giants | 15 car, 59 yds | 6 rec, 45 yds | 1 FUM lost | |
| Daniel Bellinger | Giants | 4 rec, 52 yds | |||
| Kool-Aid McKinstry | Saints | 2 INT | |||
| Jordan Howden | Saints | 1 FUM return TD | |||
| Blake Grupe | Saints | 4 FG made |
Closing Thoughts
If you break it down by player stats alone, what you see is a game won not by overwhelming offensive dominance, but by capitalization and opportunism.
The Saints and Giants came into this Week 5 matchup with familiar histories and competitive balance in their head-to-head series. But on this day, execution in key moments especially turnovers and explosive yardage plays made all the difference.
Rattler made good decisions, Shaheed delivered once in a game where one play changed everything, and the Giants put too much pressure on their own mistakes.

