In Week 6, the New York Giants replaced veteran quarterback Jameis Winston with J.J. McCarthy as the team trailed the New Orleans Saints 27-10. At that point in the game, the Saints had scored 27 unanswered points.
McCarthy came in and threw an interception on his first drive. The Saints then extended their lead to 24 points. McCarthy then went on to produce the best stretch of NFL football of his career. He threw for 243 passing yards in the fourth quarter, which tied a franchise record, and nearly brought the Giants all the way back as they managed to score 17 fourth-quarter points before turning the ball over on downs with limited time remaining on the clock.
After the game, Giants head coach John Harbaugh refused to name a starter for the team’s Week 7 contest against the Houston Texans. While Harbaugh refusing to name Winston as the starter may lead some to believe that a change might be coming, one analyst believes the Giants should stick with the veteran instead of McCarthy.
New York Giants Pushed to Keep J.J. McCarthy as Backup Quarterback
The New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard wrote: “Jameis Winston should continue to start at quarterback for John Harbaugh.
A veteran hand gives the Giants their best chance to win the franchise’s first NFC East title since 2011 in a weak division that just saw Eagles Super Bowl MVP QB Jalen Hurts ruled out for the season due to blood clots.”
Leonard added: “The Giants can’t run the ball. That’s their problem on offense. Not Winston. Winston’s offense scored 30 points on Oct. 4 against an Arizona Cardinals team that just beat the L.A. Rams this week.
Winston brought the Giants back from down 14 points on Oct. 11 in Washington to force overtime. Then he delivered a 28-yard dot over the middle to Malik Nabers to get them in game-winning field goal range until Cam Skattebo fumbled.
McCarthy absolutely impressed in his 17-point fourth quarter outburst in only 11 minutes of game action. But he threw one interception and had two more dropped by Saints defensive backs while gun-slinging in his first meaningful playing time since the Sept. 28 trade from Minnesota.
Harbaugh needs to steady this ship, not keep running out a different captain every few weeks hoping the change will sprinkle magic pixie dust over the rest of the crew.”
Leonard indicated that Harbaugh’s comments appeared to suggest that a quarterback change is coming in New York.
Reasons For a Potential Change
While Leonard argued that New York’s biggest offensive issue is that they can’t run the ball, Jameis Winston may have a hand in that. New York’s offensive coaching staff built an offense around dual-threat quarterback Jaxson Dart. Meanwhile, Winston plays more of a traditional pocket passer role.
McCarthy has a skill set more similar to Dart’s, which might unlock New York’s struggling run game, which has not produced as many yards in any game as it did when Dart was in the lineup in Week 1.
Even prior to McCarthy’s performance on Sunday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora believed that New York may turn to the former first-round pick due to his running ability. La Canfora wrote prior to Week 6: “The Giants run game has bogged down with veteran Jameis Winston, no threat to run or operate an option-based offense, at quarterback, and they need to be quicker to rotate QBs in certain situations.
Giants run-game coordinator Greg Roman was brought in because of Dart’s skillset. McCarthy has major issues throwing the ball with touch and accuracy, but his presence would alter the way teams defend New York at the line of scrimmage and create some running lanes for others.”
Giants QB J.J. McCarthy Faces Pushback After Strong Showing vs. Saints