Giants urged to make J.J. McCarthy decision with obvious Week 9 opportunity image
The New York Giants lost Week 6 to the New Orleans Saints, as they allowed 34 unanswered points to go down 34-10. But J.J. McCarthy came into the game and got hot, nearly leading an improbable comeback.
After the game, in which McCarthy thrived with the Giants, there is a real quarterback question for this Giants team going forward. But will the Giants actually turn to McCarthy, and if they do, when will the change happen?
The Athletic's Ian O'Connor, following Week 6's loss to the Saints, is urging the Giants to make the pivot to McCarthy. While he's urging the change to come sooner rather than later, there is an obvious Week 9 date to keep in mind.
Giants urged to bench Jameis Winston for J.J. McCarthy with Week 9 in mind
"The Giants have their bye week after the Houston trip, which would make for a smoother transition of power," writes. "But the sooner the Giants turn to McCarthy, the better."
John Harbaugh is sure to have plenty of questions to answer regarding the team's quarterback for Week 7 when they face a tricky Houston Texans defense.
But sticking with Winston for one more week wouldn't actually be all that outrageous of a decision. That's especially considering their Week 8 bye.
While Giants fans might want to see McCarthy start as soon as possible, if he can get two full weeks under his belt before facing the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9, then he could be much better prepared for his Giants' starting debut.
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There should not be any qualms about going with McCarthy over Winston for the Giants, especially after his impressive near-comeback against the Saints in Week 6.
But giving Winston one more chance, and also giving McCarthy a longer runway to make his first start with the Giants by using the bye week, would make a lot of sense for the Giants.
It's an obvious solution for Harbaugh that isn't too reactionary to one game, but also acknowledges the Giants' need to make a change at QB.
While Jaxson Dart is the starter when healthy, if McCarthy plays as he did against the Saints, it might be a much closer conversation than anticipated.
But the Giants won't know for sure if that'll be the case until he's starting for the Giants. That could come as soon as Week 7 against the Texans, but it would make a lot of sense if they waited another two weeks and used Week 9 against the Eagles as his Giants' debut.
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