J.J. McCarthy gave the New York Giants a chance to salvage a game that appeared out of reach Sunday, then left John Harbaugh with a quarterback decision the coach was not ready to announce.
McCarthy replaced Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter of New York’s 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints, throwing for 243 yards as the Giants rallied from a 24-point deficit.
Asked afterward who would start next week, Harbaugh declined to commit immediately.
“I can’t answer that right now. It’s not up for conversation right now,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh said the decision would come later rather than in the immediate aftermath of the loss. The coach also expressed no problem with Winston and credited both quarterbacks with making plays.
That leaves McCarthy’s performance as a significant development without making him the confirmed starter. New York has a road game against Houston next, followed by its bye week.
J.J. McCarthy gives Giants a late chance against Saints
McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes with one touchdown and one interception. The Giants scored the final 17 points after McCarthy took over, turning what had been a lopsided afternoon into a game that remained undecided on their last possession.
The timing made the production particularly striking. McCarthy entered with 11:25 remaining, meaning his entire passing total came during a portion of one quarter.
His interception on the first possession did not prevent New York from moving the ball on its subsequent opportunities. Tyrone Tracy Jr. scored on a five-yard run, and McCarthy found Isaiah Likely for the two-point conversion.
A 49-yard completion to Charlie Jones then helped set up McCarthy’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Likely.
That second touchdown brought New York within 10 points. The ensuing two-point attempt failed, leaving more work to do before the Giants could threaten to tie the score.
They eventually got within seven and reached the Saints’ 14-yard line. On fourth-and-one with 12 seconds remaining, McCarthy’s throw toward Likely in the back of the end zone was incomplete.
New Orleans then closed out the game. The comeback did not erase the loss, but it gave the coaching staff a much larger sample of McCarthy running the offense than his previous brief appearances.
Harbaugh had been expanding McCarthy’s role
McCarthy had already begun appearing in selected situations before Sunday’s change. In the previous week’s tie against Washington, he served as Winston’s backup and entered for a first-quarter play before receiving additional opportunities later.
That debut produced two rushing attempts for two yards. A short completion to Darnell Mooney came on a play with a defensive facemask penalty, while a 14-yard pass to Malik Nabers was wiped out by an illegal shift.
It was a limited introduction rather than a sustained opportunity to direct the offense. Harbaugh subsequently indicated that the team had more available for McCarthy than it had shown.
“What you saw is probably not all we have for him right now,” Harbaugh said in the team’s Oct. 14 transcript.
The coach described the package as a way to change the pace and use the players on his roster. He did not announce a starting-quarterback change at that time, and the comments should not be read as evidence that Sunday’s substitution was predetermined.
His explanation also addressed the work being done with Winston. Harbaugh said the veteran had initially stepped into an offense designed for another quarterback, and that the staff was adapting its plans and practice repetitions to suit him.
Sunday therefore presents a more substantial choice than whether to add another McCarthy play to an existing package. Harbaugh now has to determine which quarterback should prepare to lead the offense from the opening possession.
How McCarthy became an option for New York
The Giants’ quarterback changes began with Jaxson Dart’s knee injury. New York initially left open the possibility of adding a quarterback through a trade while preparing Winston to take over.
The club later announced its acquisition of McCarthy from Minnesota for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. At the time, Harbaugh emphasized the challenge of getting the new arrival comfortable with the offense while maintaining Winston as the starter.
McCarthy arrived with NFL starting experience. After spending his rookie season on injured reserve, the former No. 10 overall draft pick started 10 games for the Vikings in 2025.
He threw for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, completing 57.6 percent of his passes. Those numbers offer relevant context for Sunday’s outing.
]The Giants acquired a quarterback who had already experienced both productive stretches and turnover problems in the league, rather than a prospect awaiting his first regular-season opportunity.
Winston also entered Sunday with recent production in his favor. Against Washington, he completed 33 of 54 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
The Giants had won twice and tied once in his first three starts following Dart’s injury. Harbaugh’s decision will consequently involve more than comparing the quarterbacks’ final drives against New Orleans.
Winston’s earlier results and McCarthy’s ability to execute a full game plan both matter alongside Sunday’s change.
New York fell to 3-2-1 with the loss. McCarthy’s rally gave the Giants a reason to consider a different starter against Houston, but Harbaugh’s first postgame answer left that decision open.
Fantasy football: Wait for the Giants’ starting decision
For fantasy managers, McCarthy is a bench-stash consideration in leagues that allow two starting quarterbacks or use a superflex spot. That is AFD’s assessment of the opportunity, not a prediction that Harbaugh will give him the job.
A waiver claim should account for the possibility that Winston remains the starter against Houston. McCarthy’s 243 passing yards show why the situation deserves attention, but one quarter does not establish his weekly workload.
Managers making a start/sit decision should wait for Harbaugh’s announcement. Likely’s touchdown and two-point conversion also do not establish a new target tree for a full game with McCarthy.
