New Orleans has a 2-10 record, but with the help of two plays by cornerback Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry, the Saints went down fighting in their most recent game – a 21-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

“Just know we coming, man,” McKinstry said. “Just know we growing. We working every day. Every day, we in the lab. Every day, we talk about who we want to be, and that’s the team that we want to be. Of course, we want to win. Of course, we want to jump out in the front. But we want to have that chemistry and that connection to be able to fight. Like, we pride ourselves on not giving up. We pride ourselves on finishing and being tough.”

New Orleans trailed 10-0 when Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick caused quarterback Tyler Shough to fumble, and the Dolphins recovered at the Saints 37-yard line with 12:31 left in the first half.

Miami went immediately for the end zone, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa trying to connect with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. But McKinstry picked off the pass at the goal line.

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The Dolphins led 19-11 in the fourth quarter when they went for it on fourth-and-1 at the New Orleans 43-yard line. McKinstry dropped Miami running back Ollie Gordon for a 1-yard loss with 3:03 to play.

“I knew it was a play that we needed,” McKinstry said. “We knew if they got the first down, it was going to be very hard to win the game, so coach made a good call and we executed it.”

Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said the play was an example of what McKinstry does best.

“Man, just a great, great trigger play by him,” Staley said. “I think he knew the run was coming, and so I think he saw the formation and knew that there was going to be an opportunity for him to attack the edge, and when that edge shortened, he went for it and then made a really good open-field tackle.

“But I thought you saw his instincts on display and his play recognition, which I think are a couple of his top qualities. And I think you saw it on the interception, too. Kind of in the same way: Knew exactly what was happening with the route, was able to play off that into the deep part of the field, come off that kind of two-man combination there into the boundary and show his ball skills. So very instinctive play, and I think he had real playmaking in the game.”

McKinstry was the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Mr. Football and Class 6A Back of the Year while playing for Pinson Valley High School in 2020, when the Indians won their third AHSAA Class 6A championship in four seasons.

After he earned All-American recognition from The Associated Press and The Sporting News in 2023 at Alabama, McKinstry joined the Saints in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After starting nine games as a rookie, McKinstry has started every game in the New Orleans secondary this season.

“I think being in the environment that he came from with (Alabama) coach (Nick) Saban, he was trained really well,” Staley said. “I know that Nick really trusted him to the fullest. I mean, he started as a freshman in a very pro-style defense. And one of the top comments that came out of Nick’s mouth was his ability to operate the complexity of the tools that DBs have to work with when you’re operating stacks, bunches, motion adjustments. He said that Kool-Aid’s going to be able to do that at a top, top level. And I think that he’s put that on display in his first two years as a pro.

“And as a play-caller and as a defense, when you can have your corners operate like that with that level of trust, it allows you to have more layers in your defense. And so from a scheme perspective, I think he allows us to play more things. And then his concept recognition is, I think, outstanding for a corner, which is going to get him closer to more plays. So we’re glad we have him, and he’s playing better and better as the season goes on.”

After McKinstry’s fourth-down tackle, New Orleans drove for a touchdown with 1:17 to play. But Fitzpatrick spoiled the Saints’ attempt to tie the score by intercepting a 2-point conversion pass and returning the football to the other end zone for a defensive 2-point conversion instead.

McKinstry’s interception was his third of the season. He intercepted two passes in the Saints’ first victory of the season – a 26-14 win over the New York Giants on Oct. 5 – and earned the NFC Defensive Player of the Week Award for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season for his performance.

New Orleans has five games remaining in its season, starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at noon CST Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.