The New York Giants have improbably found themselves atop the NFC East division through four games of action, and they will look to push their record to 4-1 when they return to action for Week 5. Of course, winning hasn’t come easy for this team in the wake of Jaxson Dart‘s season-ending knee injury, but the Giants have shown resilience since losing the up-and-coming star.
For the time being, Jameis Winston is the starting quarterback, but it is worth noting that New York recently swung a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for J.J. McCarthy. Since arriving in town, McCarthy has been the No. 3 quarterback, with his main focus being on learning the playbook. For Week 5, though, the Giants have revealed that McCarthy is now the team’s new backup quarterback, and fans were quick to chime in with reactions to this move on social media.
Fans Chime in After Giants Make Surprising J.J. McCarthy Move
The Giants were dealt a brutal blow when Dart was ruled out for the season, as there was a belief within the organization that he could lead the team to the playoffs. Winston is a serviceable backup, but even with Jake Haener acting as another layer of depth, it was clear that New York needed more help at the quarterback position.
That led to the aforementioned trade for McCarthy, a former first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy’s stint with the Vikings went poorly, and that may be putting it lightly. However, he has quite a bit of upside still, so there’s no harm in taking a flier on him in the event Winston gets injured or continues to struggle under center.
Rather than potentially throwing him into the fire prematurely, though, the Giants opted to let McCarthy focus on learning the new playbook behind the scenes during his first few weeks in town. That has changed in Week 5, as he is the new backup now, and fans were unsurprisingly opinionated when hearing the news.
“Plenty of confidence in Jameis. Won’t need 3 today,” @patrickmiller86 said in response to the news of New York’s McCarthy decision.
“He will be starting after the bye,” @UndertheMDsun1 boldly predicted after learning of McCarthy’s promotion.
@frznsports was less enthusiastic about the move, saying, “McCarthy as the 2 is one thing, actually dialing up a package for him is another. Either commit to the plays or don’t bother dressing him for it.”
Giants Aiming to Push Record to 4-1 in Week 5
With a package of plays reportedly existing for him, McCarthy could conceivably make his debut for the team on Sunday, especially with rainy conditions expected to persist throughout the day at Northwest Stadium. For the time being, though, Winston is remaining the main operator of the offense, even with this move.
The overarching expectation is that McCarthy will eventually become the starter down the line, but so long as Winston keeps on winning, he’s going to remain under center. Kickoff for this game scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and you can bet folks will be keeping an eye out for McCarthy to see if he finds his way onto the field during this game.
Giants Fans React to Intriguing Quarterback Decision Right Before Week 5