J.J. McCarthy to start as NY Giants quarterback this Sunday, report says
EAST RUTHERFORD – J.J. McCarthy’s time with the New York Giants and the reset of his NFL career begins now.
According to an ESPN report Wednesday, the Giants have decided to start McCarthy in Houston this Sunday against the Texans, who have won two straight games behind C.J. Stroud’s excellent start (9 TD passes and one INT) and a talented defense, with their bye week coming after that.
Giants coach John Harbaugh will meet the media following Wednesday’s practice. The team has yet to make an official announcement regarding the decision.
The Giants (3-2-1) still hold a two-game lead in the loss column atop the NFC East standings after the division was winless for the second consecutive week, the first time that has happened since 1970.
Winston had started the last four games that followed Jaxson Dart’s season-ending knee surgery, losing for the first time last Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. McCarthy replaced Winston in the fourth quarter when the Giants trailed 34-10 and threw for 243 yards in the final 11-plus minutes, leading three scoring drives, including a touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely. McCarthy and the Giants fought all the way back for one final throw into the end zone from the 14-yard line, but Likely could not come down with the pass in traffic in the left corner of the end zone.
"I think he just showed a spark," Giants fullback Patrick Ricard said of McCarthy on Sunday night. "And that’s no knock on Jameis. I feel like Jameis has been playing his heart out and doing everything he can to help us win. But I feel like when J.J. came in, he just had a let-it-rip mentality of ‘I’m just going to throw this thing, throw it up and try to make the guys make plays,’ and they all did. I think that was the biggest thing is just giving guys chances and opportunities to make the plays, and he made some plays with his feet, which is really encouraging, and I was happy for him."
Earlier this month, McCarthy stayed away from making excuses for how things with the Vikings went south, and why just 10 starts into the career of a quarterback taken 10th overall, team brass gave up on his talent and who he is on and off the field.
"There’s a multitude of things you could think of [why it didn’t work out in Minnesota], but at the end of the day, it’s all in the past," he said. "And all I care about is what’s important now [is] that next rep, that next meeting, that next game. And that’s really all I’m focused on."
McCarthy is an intriguing name with a history with the Giants in terms of his previous draft evaluation two years ago. The team felt as though he was not a fit as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but that was for a different coaching staff. Harbaugh and the current offensive staff have a different take on McCarthy, and today’s price was more attractive than yesterday’s price.
“He can throw it. He can run it. He can make plays,” Harbaugh said of McCarthy. “There are a lot of things he could do better from what he did (in Minnesota), obviously, and we’re going to see where it goes from here. I mean, that’s really what it boils down to. But just from a talent standpoint, I don’t think anybody would deny that J.J. McCarthy is a very talented young quarterback.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: J.J. McCarthy to start as NY Giants quarterback this Sunday, report says
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