New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore watches a play that is under view during the second half of the football game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | [NOLA.com](http://NOLA.com))
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
The New Orleans Saints' losing streak is now at eight, dating to last season. They host the New York Giants on Sunday. Can they end the skid Sunday? Here are four key factors it will take for the Saints to get a win.
### Carryover from Buffalo
Considering the competition, the Saints played their best game of this young season last week against Buffalo. Now they need to bottle that up and bring it to the Dome on Sunday in what will be the most winnable game they’ve played thus far. (The Saints are actually 1½-point favorites.) Reducing penalties was a point of emphasis for the Saints after being plagued by yellow flags the first three games. They were averaging just over 10 penalties a game, but they cut that number down to four against the Bills. Special-teams play could still be better. But after the clunker in Seattle, the Saints seemed to have gained some momentum. They need to keep it going.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ first-round draft pick, made his first start last week in a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. His numbers weren’t spectacular (13-20-111 and a TD, plus 54 rushing yards),but he did enough to get a win. The Saints need to make Dart as uncomfortable as possible in his first road game as a starter. Dart was sacked five times last week, so he’s a quarterback the Saints can get to. The crowd can help, too. Dart, who played at Ole Miss, said this week that playing in the SEC prepared him for loud stadiums. But that doesn’t compare to what the Dome can be.
### More Kamara and Kendre
The Saints finally got their running game on track last week. When Alvin Kamara (15 carries,70 yards) and Kendre Miller (11 carries, 65 yards) are running like that, it makes things easier for everybody. The Saints ran for 189 yards. It doesn’t hurt when Spencer Rattler chips in with 49 yards on the ground. Avoiding the pre-snap penalties last week enabled Kellen Moore to stick to the running game even more. The Giants are 29th in the league in run defense (153 yards per game), so the Saints should take advantage of it and run Kamara and Miller early and often.
The Giants defensive front can cause problems. So the Saints’ offensive line will have to be in sync this week. The Saints won’t have right guard Cesar Ruiz, who suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss. As a result, the Saints will have to plug in a hole on the line. Giants rookie Abdul Carter, taken with the third overall pick in the draft, had eight quarterback pressures last week. The Saints will have to keep an eye on him at all times. Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux also apply plenty of pressure. Burns, who spent his first five seasons with Carolina before going to New York last season, is plenty familiar with the Saints.