Published October 19, 2026 06:33 AM
Giants quarterback Jameis Winston spent the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game watching J.J. McCarthy try to pull off an improbable comeback and the day ended without any certainty that he’d be back on the field in Week 7.
Head coach John Harbaugh said the immediate aftermath of a 34-27 loss to the Saints was not the time to make an announcement about a starter moving forward. Winston threw a touchdown as the Giants moved to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but he was pulled after 34 straight Saints points and a pair of second-half interceptions.
McCarthy led the Giants to 17 points and had a shot to tie the game on the final drive, which made his argument for getting the start next week pretty straightforward. Winston was asked what he’d say to Harbaugh about his case.
“That’s him. You know, that’s the decision that he’ll have to make,” Winston said, via a transcript from the team. “What I would love is to just put myself in a better position to execute. And that just starts with me. Things that I can control, going out there every single play, doing my very best.”
McCarthy has only been with the Giants for a few weeks, but they traded for him so that they had an option other than Winston as they played out the season in the wake of Jaxson Dart’s knee injury. That option looked like a viable one on Sunday and his time as a starter is likely coming even if he isn’t on the field for the first snap in Houston next Sunday.