Kellen Moore’s Saints got the win, but the evening also brought an odd update on one of their key defensive backs.
After New Orleans beat the Giants 34-27, Moore offered a brief explanation for why Kool-Aid McKinstry left the game, and it wasn’t the usual injury detail. In comments shared by ESPN reporter Katherine Terrell, Moore said, “I think it's just a collection of (having a) migraine and on field and we just got to work through that.”
McKinstry finished with one tackle and didn’t make the kind of impact New Orleans has come to expect. He has not recorded a pass break-up since Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, and his tackle numbers have also tailed off after the first three games of the season. The Saints’ defense nearly squandered a 17-point lead that had been built in the third quarter, and JJ McCarthy punished the McKinstry-led secondary in his Giants debut, throwing for 243 yards in one quarter.
The strange part is that McKinstry was not on the Saints’ Week 6 injury report, even though the migraine symptoms were enough to raise concern. New Orleans clearly needs him back in his usual hard-hitting form, because he hasn’t been quite that player lately.
The Saints’ offense helped keep the game from slipping away. Tyler Shough threw three touchdown passes while playing through two broken bones, Alvin Kamara broke off a 15-yard run and looked like his old self, and Kendre Miller added 70 rushing yards as New Orleans finished strong.
For Moore, the win came with a reminder that something is off with McKinstry, and it’s now a situation worth watching as the season goes on.
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