The New York Giants’ 2026 season has certainly been an interesting one so far.
Every week brings a new storyline that sparks discussion, passionate opinions, debate, and interest, and this week is no different as everyone awaits “The Decision.”
We are, of course, referencing the decision by head coach John Harbaugh regarding which quarterback, Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy, is going to get the start on Sunday, when the team travels to Houston to take on the Texans.
There are arguments for each player getting the job, and Harbaugh could have a decision by the time the Giants wrap up practice on Wednesday. Whatever the decision, it’s yet another big piece of the puzzle Harbaugh is assembling to get the Giants back to relevance.
Here is a look at some other storylines worth watching this week.
Running Theme
Harbaugh has made no secret that he’s been displeased with the Giants’ running game, and in particular the running backs who, in his words, have yet to step up and take the bull by the horns to become the main man.
The Giants already cut Najee Harris, who started last week in place of the quasi-benched and (of late) fumble-prone Cam Skattebo.
Whether that was because he spoke out about the odd rotation the Giants deployed or because of his lack of production, the field has now narrowed to Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary.
Presumably, Skattebo will be out of the doghouse this week. However, it will still be interesting to see if Tracy, who is probably the one back on the roster capable of delivering explosive runs, gets the nod.
And while on the subject of the running game, anyone else notice the reduction in fullback Patrick Ricard’s weekly snaps? Per PFF, Ricard went from averaging 29 snaps per game in the first four weeks to 16 over the last two.
While that could be because the Giants have had to play catch-up over the last two weeks, if the offensive line’s run blocking has been suspect, wouldn’t it make more sense to get Ricard more involved?
Tackling the Injuries
When we last left the Giants’ starting offensive tackles, Andrew Thomas (groin) was pulled in the fourth quarter of last week’s comeback attempt after trying his best to push through it.
On the other side, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor missed the game due to a calf injury suffered the week prior, though he’s expected to be fine moving forward.
Still, with the Giants set to face a Houston pass rush that features league sack leader Will Anderson Jr. on one side and Danielle Hunter on the other, this isn’t the best time for the Giants to be without their two starting tackles, especially if the quarterback decision lands on the immobile Winston.
The Run Defense
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the Giants’ run defense is back to struggling again. The unit is allowing 5.0 yards per carry this season and an alarming 63.7% opponent success rate.
Over the last two weeks, it’s been even worse. The Giants’ run defense has allowed opponents an average of 5.5 yards per carry with a 72.4% success rate.
A deeper breakdown shows that over the last two weeks, the Giants have allowed opponents an average of 2.46 rushing yards before contact and 3.09 after. Not good.
The problems, from what we can tell, don’t lie as much with starters D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris as they do with the depth behind them and the play behind them.
Not So Special
The Giants’ special teams haven’t been a major problem this season. In fact, the unit hasn’t been all that bad except for Week 1, when it was particularly sloppy.
That said, there have been multiple times when the unit has only fielded ten men on a play, a mistake that’s quite alarming and one that needs to be cleaned up.
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