The New York Giants’ historic drought is finally over.
Tre Hawkins picked up his first career interception early in the second half of their 14-11 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. That marked the Giants’ first interception since the opening week of the season, and ended their NFL-worst 11-game streak without one.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr tried to throw a deep ball to Kevin Austin on their first drive of the second half at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Carr, however, underthrew Austin and allowed Hawkins to step in perfectly for the interception.
That was the first interception for the Giants since Darius Muasau picked off Sam Darnold in their Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That 11-game stretch is the longest such drought in NFL history.
Sunday was just the third game that Hawkins has made it into this season, his second with the Giants. The 24-year-old, who the team took in the sixth round of the 2023 draft out of Old Dominion, had 35 total tackles as a rookie last year. He entered Sunday’s game with four total tackles.
The Giants took a 2-10 record into Sunday’s game. They’ve lost seven straight. Drew Lock got his second straight start at quarterback for the Giants, who released longtime starter Daniel Jones earlier this season after benching him. Lock went 0-of-8 after the first quarter, and the Giants entered the locker room at halftime down 7-3.
Though they had an opportunity to take it to overtime, the Giants fell short yet again on Sunday. The Saints held late and blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt from Graham Gano to seal the three-point win.
The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter, too, after he took an awkward fall directly on his left arm while trying to scramble for a first down. The Saints have now won three of their last four games and hold a 5-8 record. The Giants, on the other hand, have not won a game since Oct. 6. They are just 2-11 on the season.