Giants quarterback JJ McCarthy throwing against the Saints on October 18
Giants quarterback JJ McCarthy throwing against the Saints on October 18
The Giants didn’t find a permanent quarterback answer in the fourth quarter Sunday. They did find a reason to change who gets prepared as the starter this week, and I’d give J.J. McCarthy that opportunity against Houston.
His 243 passing yards came in a desperate relief appearance, not a normal afternoon of running the offense. That’s a reason to be careful about the conclusion, not a reason to ignore the production. A full week of first-team preparation would let New York test whether he can create anything like it before the opponent has a huge lead.
McCarthy earned a Giants audition, not a coronation
The official box score has him at 11-for-21 for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jameis Winston finished 14-for-26 for 152 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. McCarthy’s first series ended in a pick, so this wasn’t a spotless rescue act that only ran out of time.
Giants quarterback JJ McCarthy scrambling against the Saints on October 18
Oct 18, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy (18) scrambles for yards as New Orleans Saints linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) tackles during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
New York still turned a 34-10 deficit into a 34-27 final and reached fourth-and-one at the Saints’ 14 before the last pass fell incomplete. McCarthy helped give a game that looked finished an actual chance to end differently. John Harbaugh declined to name the next starter immediately, and distinguished McCarthy’s desperation-time work from normal football. As of this review, there is no announced promotion to report, and wanting the change shouldn’t become a claim that Harbaugh has made it.
The Saints’ substitutions belong in the evaluation
New Orleans coach Kellen Moore acknowledged in the Saints’ own recap that he removed some starters while managing players’ physical issues, and that the decision didn’t work. His admission should stop anyone from taking the late yardage and simply multiplying it into a full-game forecast.
The useful question is more limited. Can McCarthy make enough plays against the normal defense, with the full preparation devoted to him, to give this offense a better chance next week? The Giants can’t answer that from one relief quarter. They can choose to run the test.
Give him the preparation that goes with the assignment
I’d make the first-team practice work deliberate: protections, the ordinary down-and-distance calls, and the decisions that have to be right before a comeback turns into open-field urgency. His mobility adds another option, but the assignment should be to operate the offense, not to recreate a frantic fourth quarter from the opening series.
Winston can still retain the job if the full review exposes reasons that make him the better choice. My preference would be to give McCarthy a start without pretending it settles the long-term future or changes what the team thinks of Jaxson Dart. Houston would get a quarterback who has been prepared to lead the game, and the Giants would get a much fairer basis for their next decision.