When the New York Giants win games, they do so in the most eventful way imaginable. Facing off against a Houston Texans team that has rebounded after an 0-4 start, the Giants had to play at their best to slow down their momentum. They were able to do so, and it took overtime for it to happen.
The Giants picked up a huge 27-21 win over the Texans after the defense forced a three-and-out, while a 42-yard run by Cam Skattebo set up Devin Singletary's 30 yard touchdown run. With that, the Giants improve to 4-2-1 on the season and will keep their division foes at bay for first place.
It was a game filled with storylines after an eye-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints last week. Let's take a look at the winners and losers after the Giants' big Week 7 win over the Texans.
Winner: Cam Skattebo
Let's start with the player who caught the attention of the NFL world last week in Skattebo. After fumbling in a Week 5 tie against the Washington Commanders, Skattebo was subsequently benched in Week 6 against the Saints While Harbaugh insisted that he didn't bench Skattebo, he didn't receive a single carry. With Harbaugh calling out his running backs to answer the bell to show if they are worthy of being the starter, Skattebo stepped up.
Skattebo received the bulk of the carries this week, and he made the most of them. He had his huge 42 yard run where he looked to have ran out of gas despite having an open path to the end zone. Then, there was his 16-yard touchdown run in which he bounced off of three-to-four Texans defenders to put the Giants up 21-14 in the fourth quarter. Oh, and who could forget his run on a fake tush push for the first down in the third quarter.
The second-year running back picked up 124 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. And, Skattebo received a hug from Harbaugh after his touchdown run. Skattebo was a huge winner on Sunday afternoon.
Loser: Dominic Zvada
Now, we go to who was the biggest loser of the game, and that's rookie kicker Dominic Zvada. The Giants looked like geniuses after signing Zvada and naming him the starter, as he made all of his first nine field goal attempts. He has since entered a slump, missing two of his next seven kick attempts.
Sunday, was no better for Zvada. In the first quarter, Zvada missed a 56-yard field goal. Sure, it might have been a tall task for the rookie. But just before halftime, Zvada had a chance to put the Giants up 17-14 with a 44 yard field goal. Instead, his kick sailed wide right.
After those two misses, Harbaugh officially lost confidence in Zvada, refusing to go for any field goal attempts. In fact, in the third quarter, Harbaugh opted to take a delay of game penalty to punt the football rather than give Zvada a 55-yard attempt. Don't be surprised if the Giants bring in kickers for tryouts during the bye week. It's obvious that Zvada has lost some confidence, and it is costing the Giants chance to take larger leads in games.
Winner: J.J. McCarthy
The Giants fanbase saw the offense can operate to its fullest potential with J.J. McCarthy at the helm. So, it wasn't surprising that Harbaugh opted to make the switch at quarterback this week, giving McCarthy the start and sending Winston to the bench.
McCarthy stepped up in a huge way. He made some huge passes in the game, whether it was the countless ones to Nabers and Fields. McCarthy even had a huge deep pass to tight end Thomas Fidone to set up Winston's tush push touchdown at the goal line. Most importantly, McCarthy played mistake-free football.
McCarthy completed 20-of-28 pass attempts for 252 yards. McCarthy didn't have a touchdown to his credit, but didn't throw an interception. McCarthy isn't making mistakes, and the offense is operating at its fullest potential. This is encouraging, especially as the Giants try to run away with the NFC East once they return from the bye week.
Loser: Isaiah Likely
This isn't to say that Isaiah Likely made errors in this game. Rather, he is not a go-to option anymore with McCarthy starting at quarterback. With Jaxson Dart and Winston starting, Likely had been one of the top targets in the passing game. It's hard not to see why, considering he was able to get open in the middle of the field. They called that play "third and Likely" for a reason.
But on Sunday in Houston, Likely was essentially a non-factor in the passing game. In over four quarters-plus, Likely received just four targets. Likely hauled in two of them for a total of 12 yards.
Perhaps things can change once the Giants return from the bye week. But in Houston, it seemed like Fields received more attention from McCarthy than Likely.
Winner: Malik Nabers
No matter who is the quarterback for the Giants, Nabers is still at the top of his game. In the last three games, Nabers had over 100 yards receiving in each, in which had 165 yards receiving last week against the Saints.
Facing off against the Texans, Nabers didn't get as much targets as the previous two games, but he made the most of them. With nine targets, Nabers hauled in seven of them for 111 yards. His longest catch of the game came on the Giants' opening drive, where he hauled in McCarthy's first deep pass of the game for a huge 42 yard gain. That helped set up the Giants' scoring a touchdown one play later, which arrived on a two-yard run by Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The Giants are seeing what Nabers can do when he's healthy. That's why they opted against drafting a quarterback with the sixth-overall pick in 2024, hoping that they'd get their superstar receiver for the foreseeable future. He's showing how much of a game-wrecker he can be, no matter who is throwing him the football.
Loser: Darnell Mooney
Speaking of wide receivers, one who didn't make the most of his opportunities was Darnell Mooney. He was signed this offseason to help provide depth, in case Fields wasn't ready to take on the WR2 role in the offense.
But on Sunday, it was evident that Mooney is virtually a non-factor for the Giants. He received three targets in the entire game, where he only secured one of those passes for four yards. He could have made a big play in the third quarter, as he had a catch lined up along the sidelines for a potential first down. While Mooney had his tippy toes in bounds and the ball in his hands, he wasn't able to secure it on his way down after getting hit.
It's evident where the passing attack will run through, and Mooney probably won't be a part of those plans.
Winner: Malachi Fields
Speaking of Fields, he had a breakout game with McCarthy throwing the football his way. There is a reason why the Giants traded away assets to select Fields in the third round. He's a tall receiver that can be a quarterback's dream target deep downfield.
Fields found a way to get open downfield multiple times, and McCarthy made an effort to look for him. His biggest play of the game was a 47-yard catch and run to set the Giants up at Houston's 37-yard line. The issue is, that play was all four naught, as Zvada missed his 44-yard field goal attempt.
Fields finished the game with four catches for 83 yards. This was a promising game for the rookie. One has to imagine he will eventually break through with his first 100 receiving yards game at some point this season. It makes sense considering his chemistry with McCarthy.
Loser: Kayvon Thibodeaux
Kayvon Thibodeaux has been a target of Giants' fans criticism, as he hasn't exactly lived up to his fifth-overall selection in 2022. Not to mention, he hasn't stepped up once Brian Burns was ruled out for the season with his knee injury. It is a far cry from what Abdul Carter has done in this situation.
On Sunday, Thibodeaux may have had four tackles, but he made one huge error in overtime that could have bitten the Giants badly. In Houston's only drive of overtime, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a pass right to Thibodeaux, who was downfield in coverage. Thibodeaux had the football in his hands, only to drop it as he tried to turn around. It's a play that any player needs to make.
Luckily for Thibodeaux, the Giants clinched the win on the following drive.
Winner: Abdul Carter
Carter stepped up once Burns was ruled out for the season, as he has been a menace to opposing quarterbacks and offensive linemen. While Houston's offensive line did their best to keep Stroud upright, Carter still made plays when they mattered most.
Let's look to overtime. With the Giants needing to force a punt after Thibodeaux's dropped interception, Carter sped through the offensive line towards Stroud, forcing the quarterback to attempt a pass that ultimately fell incomplete.
While he didn't log a sack, Carter did record eight pressures in the game. He has been everything the Giants had hoped for, and then some. Sure, the sacks total isn't the best, but he is making games miserable for opposing teams.
Winner: Devin Singletary
Who doesn't like a revenge game? Singletary previously played for the Texans during the 2023 season, where he recorded over 1,000 yards from scrimmage. The Giants immediately signed him in 2024 after losing out on Saquon Barkley. While he hasn't been a star, Singletary has been more than serviceable.
With Harbaugh wanting the running backs to make the most of their opportunities, Singletary did just that. His statement was clinching the Giants' win in overtime with a 30 yard touchdown run in which he juked out multiple defenders to find an open path to the end zone. Before that, Singletary had 11 yards on four carries. But that 30 yard touchdown didn't go unnoticed, as Harbaugh hugged Singletary, causing the two to fall to the ground.
Harbaugh called out the running backs on the roster, and they answered the call. If Singletary hadn't scored that touchdown, they may have needed to rely on the shaky Zvada to try and kick a game-winning field goal. Luckily, it didn't reach that point.
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