When a team is 3-1-1 like the New York Giants  through the first five games of the 2026 season, it feels a little wild to label their next game a “must-win” with the flailing New Orleans Saints coming to town.

Still, no better description fits the intraconference matchup set to take place at MetLife Stadium in Week 6. The Giants have staved off crushing losses in three straight weeks, including last Sunday, when a two-score comeback forced overtime against the Washington Commanders and ended in a tie, extending their lead in the NFC East to 1.5 games.

Despite their impressive resiliency under head coach John Harbaugh, the organization continues to face doubt from the rest of the football world, which carries into Sunday’s game against a Saints team that has lost any momentum it had in the first two weeks of the season.

Most of that lack of faith stems from the Giants’ quarterback situation since Jameis Winston took over as the starter for Jaxson Dart in Week 3.

Winston looked like a shell of himself in his first two starts and the first half against Washington. However, he quickly reminded everyone what he could still be with a 326-yard, three-touchdown second half, leading New York back from what would have been a crushing loss to its division rival.

Now, with one of his former teams strolling into East Rutherford, skeptics are waiting for Winston to give them a reason to believe he can carry the Giants far into the regular season and into the postseason conversation. That would mean a full game’s worth of solid work under center that powers the Giants to a convincing win over the Saints, who have lost three straight games.

On the other side, the Saints have heard the noise all week from both fans and ownership, who have challenged head coach Kellen Moore’s group to play to a higher standard than it has so far. That has given them a chip on their shoulder as they try to shock the Giants on the road.

A motivated Saints team is the last thing the Giants want at this point in their schedule, which has been quite favorable on paper. 

It will soon feature a matchup with a feisty Houston Texans defense, followed by a Philadelphia Eagles team that is reeling with injuries yet has owned the recent stretch of games in their heated rivalry. That Eagles game comes right after the Giants’ Week 8 bye.

As bad as the NFC East has looked, it wouldn’t take much for the Giants to slip out of their current position and become an afterthought with a poor second-half stretch against higher-quality foes.

The Saints have not shown themselves to be that caliber of opponent, leaving it up to Winston and company to ride the positive energy of their home crowd and extend their perfect record at MetLife Stadium with a dominant victory that draws a line through any lingering doubts about the talent and toughness on the Giants roster.

If the Giants earn another win as the bye draws closer, it will be hard not to pay attention to their chances of conquering the East for the first time in well over a decade. If they suffer a loss to a bad football team, plenty of fodder will remain for critics to bury them.

Check in with New York Giants On SI for all the pregame, in-game and postgame coverage.

Saints (1-4) vs. Giants (3-1-1)

Regular Season Series History

This week’s matchup will mark the 35th all-time meeting between the Giants and Saints, dating to the 1978 season. The franchises are deadlocked at 17-17 in the regular-season series entering Week 6.

New Orleans has enjoyed more of the spoils in recent years, though, winning four of the previous five contests against New York and three straight dating to 2023.

The most recent meeting came in Week 5 last season at Caesars Superdome, where the Giants struggled in Jaxson Dart’s second NFL start behind a season-high five turnovers and lost 26-14 in Saints head coach Kellen Moore’s first victory with the franchise.

Before that, the Giants hosted the Saints at MetLife Stadium in Week 14 of 2024, which also ended in a close 14-11 loss for Big Blue. Their last win against the Saints came in 2021, when they escaped the Superdome with a 27-21 overtime victory on a Saquon Barkley 6-yard touchdown run.

Television

The game will be televised on FOX. Adam Amin is the play-by-play announcer, with former Saints and Super Bowl champion quarterback Drew Brees alongside him as the analyst and Kristina Pink as the sideline reporter.

Radio

Fans can listen to the game on WFAN 101.9 FM. Bob Papa handles the play-by-play duties, with Giants legends Carl Banks and Howard Cross joining him as analyst and sideline reporter, respectively.

Referee

Alex Kemp will be the head official for Sunday’s contest. Kemp joined the NFL as a side judge in 2014 and served until his promotion to referee in 2018. He has worked in seven postseason games throughout his career, including last season’s AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.