A woefully bad NFC East has put a ton of pressure on the New York Giants to win the division in John Harbaugh's first year. Sunday's 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints didn't help the Giants much in that regard, but it did create a potential quarterback controversy after J.J. McCarthy replaced an ineffective Jameis Winston in the second half.
Harbaugh's call seemed to spark some life for the Giants, who were trailing 34-10 in the third quarter and were driving for an opportunity to at least tie the game late in regulation. McCarthy, who completed 11-of-21 passes for 243 yards with a touchdown and a pick on the afternoon, saw his final throw into the end zone fall incomplete as the game ended with the Giants turning the ball over on downs.
J.J. McCarthy delivered a typical mixed bag performance that satisfied both the Giants and Vikings
There is no question that the Giants needed to pull the plug on Winston on Sunday, who was abymsal, as he helped dig a big hole in the first half of the game. Winston took four sacks and threw two interceptions while averaging just 5.8 yards per attempt, which allowed New Orleans to tee off on him after they successfully slowed the New York running game to a crawl.
There is no question that McCarthy's presence provided a spark to the Giants, who scored 17 unanswered points after his first drive ended with an interception. Harbaugh had to be happy that McCarthy pushed the ball down the field, averaging 11.6 yards per attempt, but it is fair to note that a lot of his stats came against a lousy Saints' defense, playing essentially prevent up three scores.
There were also some boneheaded McCarthy plays as well, including a rough interception on his first drive and throwing into triple coverage in the end zone to end the game. Those kinds of plays reminded us why the Vikings were eager to get rid of McCarthy for a relative pittance in compensation, as well as the fact he barely completed over 50 percent of his passes.
John Harbaugh on who his starting QB is next week: “I can’t answer that right now. It’s not up for conversation right now. Those things will be decided NOT 10 minutes after the game.” He says he has no problem with Jameis Winston and both QBs made plays, J.J. McCarthy played a… pic.twitter.com/BOfsA43fH4
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) October 18, 2026
The situation has become a mess for the Giants now, who saw Harbaugh decline to weigh in on his quarterback situation after the game. The road is about to get tougher for McCarthy and New York in the coming weeks as well, as the Giants face stronger defenses going forward, beginning in Week 7 with a trip to Houston to take on the Texans.
There seems to be a good likelihood that McCarthy will be starting for New York sooner rather than later. Minnesota, which is on bye with a 5-0 record, is surely happy they no longer have to ride the roller coaster that is the McCarthy experience as well.
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