EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Some of the New Orleans Saints didn't quite know what to make of their 34-27 win against the New York Giants on Sunday.
A video of Saints coach Kellen Moore's postgame speech showed the contrast. While players clapped and cheered as Moore handed out game balls, the overall atmosphere was subdued despite the win snapping a three-game losing streak.
The Saints got the job done, but it had taken a monumental effort for a game that seemed well in hand in the fourth quarter. The Saints had even started to pull a few starters when up 34-10 with 11:30 left to play, but a fumble by CJ Donaldson got the Giants back in the game. The Saints (2-4) allowed three touchdowns in the last seven minutes and had to make a stop at their own 14-yard line to secure the win.
"Most important thing in this league is that you got the win," Saints safety Justin Reid said. "I mean, this league is measured in wins and losses. It's not measured in scores. I thought that in a lot of ways, there's a lot of ways for us to continue to improve, but we showed up to the plate when we needed to and was able to close out a tough game. One of the big lessons that we can learn though is to continue to press the issue and not take our foot off the gas at any moment."
Saints guard and team captain David Edwards made a brief statement in the postgame locker room, imploring everyone to use the game as a starting point as they head into a second road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network). The Saints flew to France immediately after the Giants game to get set up for the week ahead.
"We won this game because of our week of preparation and our mindset, period. How do we carry that moving forward? Positive, all together, that's who we are," Edwards said. "We showed that today, how do we build on that? That's our f---ing objective this week coming up. You got me?"
This week in France and Sunday's Week 7 game won't be without its own distractions. The NFL announced Sunday that the game is still scheduled as planned despite civil unrests and protests that have been happening over the past month in France.
Saints players said they had a security briefing before they left for Paris and will take precautions when sightseeing in the early part of the week.
Despite the outside disruptions, the Saints hope this week can be used as a "reset." Moore sees the trip as an opportunity for the players to spend more time together. "This is obviously a continuation of an extended trip going from New York to here," the coach said.
New Orleans is also banking on time away from home as a means to figure out why nothing, not even their two wins, have come easily. In Week 2, the Saints had to come back from an 11-point deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17.
The Saints' issues on offense have been abundant: An inconsistent kicking game, a struggling run game and shaky offensive line play that resulted in quarterback Tyler Shough breaking two bones in his left hand.
Shough has had season lows in passing yards in the two complete games since the injury, but he also threw three touchdowns against the Giants. His up-and-down performances have mirrored the team's performances. They played their best football in spurts during the Giants game and looked lost at other times.
Shough said he knows how good the team can be without self-inflicted mistakes. The QB hopes they take the good part of the Giants game and apply it to their practice week in Paris.
"This is a good stepping stone for how we can continue to build and put this together," Shough said. "Still wasn't a complete game, but against a really good team in New York, man, it's a huge win for sure. So we've got to keep climbing and building off of it."