The New Orleans Saints beat the New York Giants 26-14 for their first win of the season. There were great performances on both sides of the ball, but one stands out. Kool-Aid McKinstry was outstanding, snagging two interceptions and forcing three pass breakups. He’s the player of the game for the Saints.
Before diving into McKinstry’s performance, some other players deserved to be shouted out. Rashid Shaheed reeled in four receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown, including an 87 yard bomb. Jonas Sanker continued his strong rookie campaign with seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery. Finally, Jordan Howden had a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown along with four tackles.
McKinstry shut down whoever he was against. The Giants receiving core is depleted, with Malik Nabers out for the season and Darius Slayton suffering a hamstring injury, but that shouldn’t discount his performance. McKinstry proved he can be a star cornerback for the Saints.
McKinstry bounced back from rocky start to the season
After losing Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo last year, McKinstry went into the season as the clear number one cornerback. However, he has struggled in the first four weeks, recording a 49.1 coverage grade by PFF. Prior to Sunday, he was targeted 16 times, allowing 12 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
It seemed as if McKinstry’s confidence was at an all-time low. All that changed against the Giants. He looked more confident and played with that swagger he showed while at Alabama. Confidence is everything at corner, so this could be a season altering performance if keeps this attitude for the remainder of the season.
McKinstry now leads the Saints in both interceptions and pass deflections, just beating out Jonas Sanker in both. Even without the first four weeks, he would be first in interceptions and tied for first in pass deflections from this game alone.
Kool-Aid McKinstry is the Saints player of the game after totaling two interceptions and three pass breakups against the Giants. He struggled to start the season, but his confidence is back at an all-time high. Look for him to keep this up throughout the remainder of the year.