Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy gave the New York Giants something to consider in their 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 6. He entered the game late and showed he could be an option for New York’s offense moving forward.
With the Giants trailing 34-10 in the fourth quarter, McCarthy replaced Jameis Winston and helped bring the team within striking distance. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception, finishing with a 90.0 passer rating.
Although the Giants fell short, McCarthy’s performance could put him in the conversation to become the team’s starting quarterback. During an Oct. 19 appearance on KFAN, former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen shared his happiness for McCarthy’s showing in Week 6.
“I love it, [and] I was so fired up,” Thielen said about his former teammate taking advantage of this fresh start in New York. “I saw the little video after the game, all the guys coming up to him and not congratulating him, but saying, ‘Hey, appreciate you.’
“That was awesome, giving us a chance and fighting and coming back. But that’s him. He’s a fighter, man. He loves the game. He loves people. He loves to be out there competing, and he showed that yesterday.”
Ex-Vikings WR Adam Thielen Happy for J.J. McCarthy’s Fres Start
Moreover, Thielen noted that he needs to rewatch the game. Still, if the Giants are running plays that are more suited to McCarthy’s style or capabilities, then he’s excited about the former Vikings QB’s outlook in New York.
“I’m going to go watch it back the next couple of days because I’d love to see some of the plays he was making and what kind of plays they were running, to be honest,” Thielen added. “If it was more kind of something like the offense that he was running in college, more of the run-and-play action and keepers and things like that. But it’d be interesting to see what he was doing. I’m really proud of him, happy for him.
“He said it in the postgame, they still didn’t win, so he can’t be that excited. But I think he said that he was able to show what he can do, and I’m really excited. Hopefully they give him another opportunity to go out there and be a starter and just get that clean, fresh start that we’ve talked about on the show before.”
John Harbaugh on J.J. McCarthy’s Week 6 Performance
After the game, Giants head coach John Harbaugh shared his thoughts on McCarthy’s performance.
“I thought he came in there and did a heck of a job given the circumstances and kind of desperation time,” Harbaugh told reporters postgame. “It’s different than normal football, but he made some plays and got us back, gave us a chance at the end to win the game.
“We were throwing the ball in the end zone at the end, so that was good. You have to compliment him on that.”
Nonetheless, as the week progresses, the calls for the former Vikings QB could get louder, especially if Winston struggles again.
Former Vikings Star Gets Blunt About J.J. McCarthy’s Week 6 Showing