The New York Giants suffered their second loss of the season on Sunday, where they lost 34-27 to the New Orleans Saints. At one point in the game, the Giants trailed 34-10 after initially leading 10-0. Things changed when head coach John Harbaugh opted to bench quarterback Jameis Winston in favor of J.J. McCarthy. In his first look of extended action, McCarthy nearly led a miraculous comeback attempt, throwing for 243 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter alone.
Considering how the offense improved once McCarthy entered the game, it seemed like a given that he would be the starting quarterback from here on out. However, Harbaugh was non-committal after the game. Even though it seems like an easy decision, it doesn't seem like a given that he will start in the Giants' Week 7 game against the Houston Texans.
Early indications hint that Giants may not start J.J. McCarthy at quarterback until after Week 8 bye
During an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football, insider Ian Rapoport mentioned that while it is possible that McCarthy could get the start next weekend, he did open up the possibility of him getting starting duties after the Week 8 bye week.
“McCarthy’s time is coming, whether it’s this week, whether it’s next week. He is going to play," said Rapoport.
Rapoport wasn't the only reporter to bring up the Giants potentially waiting until after Week 7 to name McCarthy the starter. The Athletic's Dan Duggan floated that idea of Winston getting another start against a Texans defense that has struggled this season, but that he would be on a short leash. Duggan brings up that Winston threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns the week prior against the Washington Commanders. That way, they can then use the bye week to allow McCarthy to get a better feel for the offense and get him ready for a Week 9 start against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Giants should just ride the hot hand with J.J. McCarthy for Week 7
Yes, McCarthy arrived to the Giants just a couple of weeks ago after getting traded by the Minnesota Vikings. The expectation was that it would take some time for him to better understand the team's playbook designed by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. During his appearances with the Giants, McCarthy was mostly brought in on trick plays, whether it was on a designed run or to throw a screen pass. All of those trick plays didn't amount to much.
But McCarthy showed real promise running Nagy's offense. Granted, it was against a bad Saints defense, but he made some incredible deep passes in the fourth quarter to drive the offense up the field with ease. Before that, the offense looked lifeless with Winston in the game. With Winston, he's not the best fit in the offense, due in part to his inability to run effectively. McCarthy does have the speed to really trick defenses with RPO plays, much like Jaxson Dart showed back in Week 1.
It is up to Harbaugh to make the decision. With the Giants in the driver's seat in the NFC East, they can't afford to make any errors. Harbaugh needs to ensure he makes the right choice at quarterback if they want to begin stacking up some wins, and running away from their division foes who are struggling to win games.
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