J.J. McCarthy had a great fourth quarter for the Giants. But NFL fans have seen this from him before.
Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy throws a pass against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Brad Penner
It is easy to be impressed with how J.J. McCarthy galvanized his team with a stirring fourth-quarter performance. Three straight scoring drives made fans forgive an earlier interception. It showed his promise as a former first-round pick.
Those sentences could have been written on Sept. 8 last year or this past Sunday. McCarthy’s NFL debut for the Vikings in 2025 had similar events to his relief effort for the Giants. The biggest difference was McCarthy left his first NFL game a winner.
The Giants lost Sunday, but McCarthy is in the same boat he was in 13 months ago. A beacon of hope for how he finished a game, not how he started. Now coach John Harbaugh must decide if he’ll hitch himself to McCarthy’s boat or stick with Jameis Winston.
“We’re working through that now. Honing in on a decision,” Harbaugh said Monday.
That’s usually a sign change could happen. Whether or not Winston starts Sunday against the Texans, the clock is ticking. Another bad game will make it harder for him to remain the starter.
But the Giants also face questions with McCarthy. Can he sustain that hot fourth quarter over a full game when teams are scheming for him? When a defense isn’t playing soft coverage with a big lead that could lead to big plays?
The 243-yard performance in Sunday's fourth quarter was impressive. It’s also an outlier since McCarthy had just two starts in Minnesota with more than 200 passing yards. So what’s a reasonable expectation for the third-year quarterback?
How about ignite the offense. The Giants can’t keep playing games where the offense plays catchup after a bad half. Even Harbaugh said the team going no-huddle in the second half is not sustainable.
What they need is more plays like McCarthy throwing downfield to Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely. They need points like the 17 that came on McCarthy’s watch.
He also did that Sunday without any live reps with the first-team offense leading up to the game. That was the best sign McCarthy might be ready.
"Football is football,” McCarthy said. “It’s pitching and catching, it’s tackling, it’s blocking. It’s all the things you’ve been doing since you started. Just put it in a place where they can go get it and they’re going to do the rest.”
The flip side, though, is McCarthy’s been in this spot before. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after that fourth-quarter rally last season in his debut. He also made NFL history as the first quarterback to account for three fourth-quarter touchdowns in his first career start.
What happened the next week? The Vikings lost and McCarthy had no touchdowns. He had just 158 passing yards, threw two interceptions, was sacked six times and fumbled three times. Then, he missed the next five games with a high ankle sprain.
The Vikings went 1-3 after he returned before winning his final four starts. Some of McCarthy’s stats over that stretch? Nine touchdowns, nine interceptions, 57.4% completion rate, 131 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
The Giants have to factor that in, too. Winston’s turnovers are a problem. McCarthy is just as turnover-prone. His up-and-down tenure with the Vikings can’t be ignored, nor can the promise he brings.
“It's more kind of an overview,” Harbaugh said with considering both players’ body of work. “Then just with your thoughts toward what's in front of us and what we're trying to accomplish going forward. But you take all that into account, absolutely.”
There’s one more element to consider. A mobile quarterback can boost the running game and the Giants badly need that. McCarthy can free up space for the running backs since teams have to account for him as a potential runner.
Teams don’t fear a Giants unit ranked 22nd with 3.77 yards per carry. If the threat of McCarthy running can help improve that, try it. It’s better than bringing him in for a play or two like Harbaugh did that previous two weeks.
But again, check the numbers. McCarthy had the third-worst sack rate last season (10%), just two spots above Jaxson Dart (9.36%). Being mobile doesn’t always mean elusive.
The Giants are also 25th in sack rate. Left tackle Andrew Thomas is playing through a groin injury and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is day-to-day after missing Sunday’s game with a calf injury. McCarthy might be running to avoid pressure as much as gain positive yards.
It all means he’s not some magic elixir. He may fix the Giants. He may not. That’s the gamble Harbaugh must weigh, just like if he’ll roll the dice on Winston again.
McCarthy’s time will come, whether this weekend or after next weekend's bye. He just has to prove again one strong quarter won’t be a tease he can’t recreate more often.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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