The New York Giants have made their choice under center. J.J. McCarthy will start at quarterback Sunday against the Houston Texans, replacing veteran Jameis Winston, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Wednesday.
J.J. McCarthy (Credits: ESPN)
The Fourth Quarter That Changed Everything
Head coach John Harbaugh was choosing between McCarthy and Winston, who had started the previous four games in place of injured starter Jaxson Dart. The decision came down to what happened in the final 11 minutes of Sunday’s 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Winston was pulled after going 14-of-26 for 152 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Trailing 34-10, the Giants turned to McCarthy — and nearly pulled off a miracle. The 23-year-old completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, a touchdown and a pick, leading three scoring drives and bringing New York back within one score. It was the second-most fourth-quarter passing yards by a non-starting quarterback in the past 25 years, and he had the Giants in the red zone before falling short in the final seconds.
From Third String to Starter in a Month
McCarthy joined the Giants less than a month ago, acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick. The former 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft out of Michigan has rocketed from third on the depth chart to the top spot — and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has been raving about his grasp of the offense, reportedly calling it “A+.”
He won’t get an easy debut. The Texans own one of the league’s most feared pass rushes, sitting third with 18 sacks through five games. Winston, meanwhile, heads back to the bench with seven touchdowns and five interceptions on the season after going 2-1-1 in his four starts.
Dart, the team’s original starter, is out for the year after suffering a season-ending knee injury just seven snaps into the Week 2 loss to the Rams — leaving Big Blue to bet on McCarthy’s potential with a bye week looming after Sunday.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
