{"id":376829,"date":"2026-10-19T13:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/376829\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T13:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:16:09","slug":"3-things-i-think-after-a-giant-flop-against-the-saints-is-it-j-j-mccarthy-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/376829\/","title":{"rendered":"3 \u2018things I think\u2019 after a Giant flop against the Saints: Is it J.J. McCarthy time?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">New York Giants fans overwhelmingly believe J.J. McCarthy should be the team\u2019s quarterback beginning this Sunday against the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bigblueview.com\/post\/Qz4moSutDNMM\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Eighty-one percent of the 751 voters in our poll<\/a> think McCarthy should replace Jameis Winston as the starter when the Giants face the Houston Texans this Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Head coach John Harbaugh wasn\u2019t ready to make that decision in his post-game press conference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cI can\u2019t answer that now,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cThe game just ended ten minutes ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cIt\u2019s not even up for discussion or conversation right now. We\u2019ve 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. He was up and down today for sure, but those things will all be decided not ten minutes after a game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">It is, though, a decision Harbaugh has to make.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">When the Giants acquired McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings a few weeks ago for a fifth-round pick, it seemed clear Harbaugh would face this decision at some point. I\u2019m sure he knew that, too. I doubt, though, that anyone expected that choice to have to come now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Harbaugh put McCarthy into Sunday\u2019s game with the Giants trailing by 24 points and 11:25 remaining. Most likely, he figured that in what seemed like a lost cause, it was a good chance to give McCarthy some snaps running the offense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">McCarthy\u2019s first series ended in an interception on a ball nowhere near intended receiver Malachi Fields.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Then, stuff started to happen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">C.J. Donaldson of New Orleans fumbled. Arvell Reese recovered. McCarthy suddenly started slinging the ball all over the place, throwing for 243 yards in less than a quarter of action. The Giants started scoring, and somehow found themselves with a chance to win the game with :12 left.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">It didn\u2019t happen, of course, but now Harbaugh has to make a critical decision. Turn to McCarthy now, when he is still learning the full offense and hasn\u2019t worked with the first team in practice, or try to ride with Winston at least through Sunday\u2019s game against the Texans. That is followed by the Giants\u2019 bye week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cI thought he [McCarthy] came in there and did a heck of a job given the circumstances, and kind of desperation time,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cIt\u2019s different than normal football, but made some plays and got us back, gives us a chance to win the game, and we\u2019re throwing the ball in the end zone at the end, so that was good. You\u2019ve got to compliment him on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Emotionally, it is easy to simply say it is time to give the keys to McCarthy. That time is probably coming, and it won\u2019t shock me if he starts against the Texans. McCarthy does allow the Giants to run the offense the way they intended to, provided they can get a running game established.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">After sleeping on it, though, despite his ups and downs, I think if the decision were mine, I would ride with Winston for one more week. If it doesn\u2019t go well, then McCarthy has the bye week to prepare for back-to-back division starts against the Eagles and Commanders.<\/p>\n<p>The run game is a disaster<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">That is the only way to describe what we have seen this season, and especially what we saw on Sunday, when the Giants give the ball to a running back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">The Giants did that 14 times on Sunday and got 34 yards for their efforts, 2.4 yards per carry. Najee Harris started and had four carries for 2 yards. Tyrone Tracy had six carries for 18 yards. Devin Singletary had four carries for 14 yards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Cam Skattebo? He played five snaps, but never touched the ball.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Putting the Skattebo stuff aside for the moment, the Giants are clearly searching for someone \u2014 anyone \u2014 who can make a play when they hand him the ball.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cWe were trying to see who could make something happen, who could get a hot hand and earn it. Nobody has really taken the bull by the horns,\u201d said head coach John Harbaugh. \u201cMotor (RB Devin Singletary) really hasn\u2019t had a chance to take the bull by the horns. So, we thought we\u2019d get him in the mix, too. So, we put four guys up and see if we can get something going with the running game. That was the idea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Harbaugh said it \u201cwasn\u2019t by design\u201d that Skattebo never touched the ball.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cJust when he [Skattebo] was in there, we didn\u2019t call any runs,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cSo, you\u2019re not thinking about which back is in the game and how many runs they\u2019re getting. It\u2019s we\u2019re going to give them all an equal shot, give them a chance. See who\u2019s got a hot hand maybe, see who can get going with it. And we\u2019re not planning on being down by 24. That\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Harbaugh knows divvying up snaps between four running backs is not ideal. But Derrick Henry did not come with him from the Baltimore Ravens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cNow you can argue that. You can say, well, I don\u2019t like that. I don\u2019t like you divvying up the snaps between four backs. And I can tell you, I don\u2019t like it either,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cOne of those guys needs to step up. Somebody needs to step up and be the back. And none of those guys have done that yet. And when one of those guys steps up to be the back, then they\u2019ll be the back. That\u2019s your answer. And that\u2019s as honest as I can be about it. And they know that, too. And believe me, they\u2019re all hungry. They want to step up. One of those guys wants to step up. Somebody\u2019s going to step up and take that job. We\u2019re going to see who it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Harris got the first opportunity. He carried three times in the first 16 plays. After he lost 6 yards on a first-down run from the Giants\u2019 14-yard line, though, he got only one more carry. Harris is a four-time 1,000-yard rusher who came to the Giants after tearing an Achilles tendon last season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/gregp_j\/status\/2111946516906549301\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Harris clearly doesn\u2019t like the four-way timeshare:<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup _1bij9g79 _1bij9g78 _1mt21p01\">\u201cIt\u2019s hard to get in a rhythm with one or two plays. The first couple runs will be like, \u2018OK, how are they playing it?\u2019 And then the next ones will be, \u2018OK, this is how you attack it.\u2019 But if you\u2019re getting a play here and then get taken out for a series, there\u2019s nothing you could do. That\u2019s why I\u2019m saying, \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019 I\u2019ve never been through none of this before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Harris is probably right. It is clear, though, that Harbaugh and the Giants are not sold that any of their backs can really be RB1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Of course, it is tough to believe any running back could have made much out of the carries the Giants backs got on Sunday. There wasn\u2019t any place to run. When the Pro Football Focus grades are made official on Monday, the Giants\u2019 run-blocking scores will be ugly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">The fact that the Giants could not open holes against a New Orleans team that entered the game with one of the league\u2019s worst defenses made the performance even worse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cNot very good\u201d is how Harbaugh summed up the running game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Skattebo said it \u201csucked\u201d not to be involved in the game, especially in the second half when the Giants fell behind, and the run game became useless.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cI got punished for what I did, and I understand, so I got to be ready when coach calls my name, and that wasn\u2019t today,\u201d Skattebo said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard, but I\u2019ve made mistakes, and I got to own up to them. And if that is what they want to do, is keep me on the sidelines because of that, I totally understand. I can\u2019t make mistakes at this level of this game. And when you make mistakes like that, consequences are to be made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Skattebo said he knew his snaps would be reduced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">\u201cDid I know it was going to go from 50 snaps to five snaps? No,\u201d Skattebo said. \u201cBut if that\u2019s what it is, that\u2019s what it is. I\u2019ve got to just get back to practice, work my butt off, and hopefully it comes back around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Six games into the season, with a coach who believes in a run-first philosophy and an offense built around that belief, Harbaugh, Skattebo, and the Giants have no answers when it comes to their lack of success running the ball.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Where those answers come from is anybody\u2019s guess.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Everything changed for the Giants in the final 1:30 of Sunday\u2019s first half. All the positivity, all the belief, all the aggression, all the hope from fans in the stands seemed to vaporize over a stunningly disastrous stretch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">It started on third-and-10 with the Saints at the Giants\u2019 40-yard line and the Giants leading, 10-0. Harbaugh, sensing confusion in the secondary, called a timeout just before the ball was snapped. Unfortunately, that negated a play that turned into a sack of Saints quarterback Tyler Shough that would have been a 3- or 4-yard loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">After a third-down incompletion, Saints coach Kellen Moore elected a risky 58-yard field goal that Daniel Carlson made. Moore would almost certainly not have elected the field goal if it had been from 62 yards instead of 58.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Then, Jones fumbled the ensuing kickoff when he took a hit from Isaiah Stalbird of New Orleans. The Saints took over at the 28-yard line, and the game was tied, 10-10.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Halftime felt like a funeral. The first 18 minutes of the second half looked like one. The offense was a sputtering, ineffective mess as Winston, forced to throw on nearly every down, started throwing the ball to the wrong guys. The defense, so aggressive and impactful for the game\u2019s first 28 minutes, was helpless. New Orleans scored on four of five possessions after halftime, making 34 unanswered points and taking a 34-10 lead before McCarthy time. Mistakes continued on the coverage and return units.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">The stunning comeback engineered by McCarthy narrowly missed giving the Giants an unlikely, but important, victory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Yet, it was a missed opportunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">The Giants had a 10-0 lead and looked poised to improve to 4-1-1, creating some separation in an NFC East where the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys both fell to 2-4 on Sunday and the 1-3-1 Washington Commanders are on the road to face the 5-0 San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">Then, they melted down and gave it all away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">If you were told before the season started that the Giants, winners of seven games over the past two seasons combined, would be 3-2-1 after six games this season, you would probably have signed up for it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">The way it has unfolded, though, it doesn\u2019t feel as good as it might. Last week\u2019s tie against the Commanders was a game the Giants had two opportunities to win in overtime, but they didn\u2019t. Sunday was a game the Giants should have won, and had control of, but didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">The Giants still lead the division, thanks in large part to the stunning underperformance of both the Eagles and Cowboys. Their record, though, could easily be 5-1 with a three-game lead in the NFC East rather than 3-2-1 with a 1.5-game lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1upudxki _174s0un1 _174s0un0 _1mt21p01\">When the season is all said and done, this feels like a two-week stretch that the Giants may look back upon with regret.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York Giants fans overwhelmingly believe J.J. McCarthy should be the team\u2019s quarterback beginning this Sunday against the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376830,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,7692,11,10,12010],"class_list":["post-376829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-giants-analysis","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-valentines-views"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}