EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants suddenly face an unexpected quarterback controversy after backup J.J. McCarthy replaced starter Jameis Winston and ignited a furious fourth-quarter comeback attempt in a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
With New York trailing 34-10 and Winston struggling with two interceptions, head coach John Harbaugh turned to McCarthy with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest. McCarthy, who was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 28, had not attempted a pass for the Giants before Sunday. Although his initial possession ended in an interception, the former first-round draft pick rallied the offense, orchestrating three consecutive scoring drives that pulled the team within a touchdown in the final minute.
A historic fourth-quarter surge
McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown strike to Isaiah Likely. According to the Associated Press, his 271 combined rushing and passing yards were the second-highest fourth-quarter total recorded by any NFL quarterback since at least 1991, trailing only Drew Brees’ 294 yards for New Orleans in November 2008. His 243 yards through the air also matched Eli Manning’s mark from September 2012 for the highest single-quarter passing total by a Giants quarterback in at least 35 years.
The comeback bid ended when McCarthy’s fourth-and-1 pass to Likely fell incomplete in the end zone with 12 seconds remaining on the game clock.
“I thought he came in there and did a heck of a job given the circumstances: kind of desperation time,” Harbaugh told reporters, as reported by the AP. “It’s different than normal football. But he made some plays and gave us a chance at the end to win the game.”
Despite the excitement surrounding the rally, McCarthy expressed frustration about the final result. “Not pleased when you lose,” McCarthy said, according to the AP. “I was just really proud of the guys around me just responding and always keeping that belief that we can go win this thing.”
Winston stumbles after strong stretch
The Giants turned to Winston after franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending injury, and the veteran entered Sunday coming off a three-touchdown performance against the Washington Commanders the prior week. Against New Orleans, however, Winston was unable to maintain that rhythm. He completed 14 of 26 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown pass to Tracy, but two second-half interceptions allowed the Saints to build a 24-point cushion.
“I myself, personally, just left a lot of plays out there that I could have executed better on,” Winston said after the game, according to the AP.
Starter undecided for Houston trip
Harbaugh emphasized that the team will not rush into picking a starting quarterback for their upcoming matchup against the Houston Texans.
“I can’t answer that now,” Harbaugh said, via the AP. “It’s not even up for discussion or conversation right now. We’ve got to go back and go to work. I have no problem with Jameis whatsoever. I love the way he competes, I love the way he fights — all those kind of things. His play was up and down today, for sure, but those things will all be decided not 10 minutes after a game.”
McCarthy, who was the 10th overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft, missed his entire rookie season and threw 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 games last year before being relegated to third-string status in Minnesota behind Kyler Murray, Bleacher Report noted. After seeing only occasional, situational action over his first two weeks in New York, McCarthy’s late-game surge against the Saints has now positioned him as a serious contender to lead the offense.
The Giants coaching staff is expected to evaluate game film and determine early in the practice week whether Winston will retain his starting role or if McCarthy will take the first-team snaps in Houston.
