Game recap

Cardinals @ Giants

2026 Wk 4 · NYG 36, ARI 24

Arizona reached the Giants 4 with 22 seconds left, and Deonte Banks ran the last pick back 98 yards.

FanIQ Research · October 5, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

Arizona ran four plays from the Giants 4 with a go-ahead touchdown in reach. The last one went 98 yards the other way.

Rare

Every interception return touchdown in the final 30 seconds by a team protecting a one score lead, regular season since 1999

Season	Week	Defense	Offense	Score before	Snap yards from end zone	Returner	Return yds
1999	10	DAL	GB	20-13	25	G.Teague	95
2010	5	ARI	NO	23-20	91	D.Rodgers-Cromartie	28
2014	6	DEN	NYJ	24-17	99	A.Talib	22
2014	6	ARI	WAS	23-20	86	R.Johnson	28
2017	8	DAL	WAS	26-19	84	B.Jones	21
2018	16	TEN	WAS	19-16	85	M.Butler	56
2023	11	NYG	WAS	24-19	48	I.Simmons	54
2026	4	NYG	ARI	30-24	4	D.Banks	98

Arizona's final four snaps

Clock	Down	Yard line	Result
0:22	1st and goal	NYG 4	Incomplete
0:18	2nd and goal	NYG 4	Incomplete
0:14	3rd and goal	NYG 4	Incomplete
0:11	4th and goal	NYG 4	Intercepted, 98 yard return touchdown

A pass interference penalty moved Arizona to the Giants 4 with 22 seconds left and a 30-24 deficit. Jacoby Brissett threw four straight passes from there. Deonte Banks caught the fourth at the 2 and ran it back for the final points. Of the eight late pick sixes on this list, it is the longest return, and it is the only one that started inside the opponent's 10.

Why it matters. A late pick six by a team that already leads usually comes from a desperation throw far from the end zone, which is why most returns on this list are short. This one flipped the most valuable field position in the sport: Arizona was one completion from a win and finished 12 points down. The final margin hides how close the game was.

Jacoby Brissett had never thrown three interceptions in a game. He had 71 earlier games with 10 or more attempts.

Rare

Jacoby Brissett regular season games with 10 or more attempts, by interceptions thrown (2016 to 2026)

Interceptions	Games	First season	Last season
0	43	2016	2026
1	23	2017	2026
2	5	2017	2025
3	1	2026	2026

Brissett in this game

Cmp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Sacks
21	35	166	2	3	2

Before this game Brissett had thrown 33 interceptions on 2,363 regular season attempts. He had five two interception games and no worse. Two of his interceptions came in the second quarter, and the third was returned for a touchdown.

Why it matters. Brissett's value has always come from avoiding the big mistake, so three interceptions in one game is a break from a long pattern rather than his normal range. Arizona produced 44.4 percent successful plays, more than the Giants, and still lost. The interceptions explain the gap between how the offense moved and what it scored.

The Giants trailed 14-3 in the first quarter. The lead then changed hands three times before Arizona's last drive.

Trend

Every scoring play

Qtr	Clock	Team	Play	Score after
1	11:12	ARI	M.Harrison Jr. 12 yd pass from Brissett	ARI 7, NYG 0
1	6:40	NYG	D.Zvada 39 yd FG	ARI 7, NYG 3
1	3:12	ARI	T.Allgeier 22 yd run	ARI 14, NYG 3
2	15:00	NYG	D.Zvada 50 yd FG	ARI 14, NYG 6
2	4:36	NYG	M.Fields 12 yd pass from Winston, two point try failed	ARI 14, NYG 12
2	2:28	NYG	M.Nabers 25 yd pass from Winston	NYG 19, ARI 14
2	0:02	ARI	C.Ryland 60 yd FG	NYG 19, ARI 17
3	7:24	ARI	E.Higgins 2 yd pass from Brissett	ARI 24, NYG 19
3	1:48	NYG	T.Johnson 11 yd pass from Winston, N.Harris two point run	NYG 27, ARI 24
4	2:16	NYG	D.Zvada 52 yd FG	NYG 30, ARI 24
4	0:11	NYG	D.Banks 98 yd interception return	NYG 36, ARI 24

New York took its first lead with Malik Nabers' touchdown late in the second quarter. Arizona went back ahead in the third, and the Giants answered within six minutes with a touchdown and a two point run. New York scored the final 17 points of the game.

Why it matters. The 12 point final margin suggests a comfortable win, but the running score says otherwise. The Giants trailed by 11 in the first quarter, and Arizona held the ball inside the New York 5 in the final minute with a chance to win. Six of the final 17 points came on that last Arizona snap.

Jameis Winston's eight deep throws gained 166 yards. His 21 short throws gained 84.

Split

Passing by depth, both teams

Team	Depth	Att	Cmp	Yards	Pass TD	INT	EPA/att
NYG	Deep	8	5	166	1	1	1.697
NYG	Short	21	13	84	2	1	-0.188
ARI	Deep	7	2	44	0	1	-0.301
ARI	Short	28	19	122	2	2	-0.461

Giants deep completions

Qtr	Receiver	Yards
1	Malik Nabers	39
2	Malik Nabers	25, TD
3	Malik Nabers	28
3	Malachi Fields	40
4	Isaiah Likely	34

Winston completed 5 of 8 deep passes, and three of those went to Nabers for 92 yards. Nabers finished with 6 catches for 112 yards. Arizona went the other way: Brissett threw 28 of his 35 passes short, and those short throws averaged minus 0.461 EPA per attempt.

Why it matters. The Giants were successful on only 31.7 percent of their plays, so most of their offense came in a few large chunks. Deep throws are a high variance choice, and here the variance broke for New York: one interception, five completions averaging 33 yards. Arizona's short game kept the chains moving at times but never produced the same size of play.

The Giants had gone two games without a touchdown. They scored four in this one, with a lower success rate than in either of those games.

Comparison

Giants by game, 2026

Week	Opponent	Points	Offensive TD	Return TD	FG	Plays	EPA/play	Success%
1	DAL	28	4	0	0	65	0.369	60.0%
2	LA	6	0	0	2	55	-0.429	27.3%
3	TEN	12	0	0	4	57	-0.116	38.6%
4	ARI	36	3	1	3	63	-0.082	31.7%

New York scored 18 points in Weeks 2 and 3 combined, all on field goals. Against Arizona it scored three offensive touchdowns, added a defensive one, and finished with 36 points. Its success rate of 31.7 percent was its second lowest of the season, ahead of only the Week 2 loss to the Rams.

Why it matters. Points usually follow efficiency, and this game is the exception for the Giants: they moved the ball less consistently than in Week 3 and scored three times as many points. The difference was explosive passes and three Arizona interceptions, two of which set up or became points. That mix is harder to repeat than a steady play by play edge.

Chad Ryland's 60 yard field goal at the end of the first half is the longest of his career.

Milestone

Longest made field goals by Arizona, regular season since 1999 (top 5)

Rank	Season	Week	Opponent	Yards
1	2021	2	MIN	62
1	2023	3	DAL	62
3	2012	6	BUF	61
4	2016	3	BUF	60
4	2026	4	NYG	60

Chad Ryland's longest made field goals

Season	Week	Team	Opponent	Yards
2026	4	ARI	NYG	60
2024	16	ARI	CAR	58
2024	8	ARI	MIA	57
2025	4	ARI	SEA	57
2023	16	NE	DEN	56

Ryland kicked it with 2 seconds left in the half to cut the Giants' lead to 19-17. It beat his previous career long of 58 and tied for the fourth longest field goal by a Cardinal since 1999.

Why it matters. A 60 yard try at the end of a half costs little if it misses, and making it kept Arizona within two at the break. That margin is why the Cardinals could retake the lead with one touchdown in the third quarter. It also extends Ryland's range for a coaching staff deciding when to kick and when to punt.

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