In roughly four minutes of game time, a 10-0 New York Giants lead became a 17-10 deficit. The New Orleans Saints, decidedly a second half team, ran roughshod over a depleted and overmatched Giants squad. Jameis Winston, fresh off a two-year, $13 million contract extension signed late this preseason, continued his run as a football disaster. He needed 30 dropbacks to gain a total of 142 net yards. New York fell behind 34-10 and saw its win expectancy retreat into decimals.
Head coach John Harbaugh, in his first year with the franchise, had little to lose. That was the same thinking that convinced team executives to trade a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings for former top 10 selection J.J. McCarthy. Before Week 6, the Michigan man had only been used in running situations. Now, in garbage time against the league's 26th-ranked passing defense, McCarthy could stake his claim and prove the inaccurate throws and baffling decision making that chased him out of Minneapolis had been fixed in northern New Jersey.
At first, it was an illustration of why the Vikings were willing to part ways with the quarterback they once dubbed a franchise cornerstone after just 10 games.
Emerson Jr. with his 2nd INT of the day!#Saints | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/oXwin2McM3
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 18, 2026
After a quick completion on a short toss to tailback Devin Singletary, McCarthy threw a pair of incompletions before throwing a ball that didn't hit the turf. Unfortunately, that's because it went straight to Martin Emerson Jr. The young quarterback threw the ball badly behind Malachi Fields, giving Emerson his second interception of the day.
This could have defined his Week 6 and the Giants could have slunk to the locker room knowing just sniffing .500, let alone topping it, keeps them in prime position to win the NFC East. Instead, McCarthy played like a quarterback with little to lose in a three-possession game. He stepped up in the pocket, set his eyes downfield and ripped off the big-armed throws that gave both Minnesota and New York "I can fix him" feelings.
J.J. finds Isaiah Likely 🙌
— New York Giants (@Giants) October 18, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/0fLSL9TMTV
McCarthy pulled the Giants within seven points as the two-minute warning loomed, incredibly going five-for-five on deep throws against a defense that knew it was coming but didn't quite know what to expect from a player who'd become a punchline. Granted, he needed an overturned interception (to Emerson, again!) and a heap of luck to jolt New York's passing offense back to life.
One final defensive stand set the stage for an unlikely comeback. McCarthy got the ball back trailing 34-27 with 57 seconds to play and zero timeouts at his own 29-yard line. On first down, he deftly stepped up against a corner blitz and broke free for a 28-yard gain to put the Giants inside Saints territory -- the longest run of his career so far.
J.J. McCarthy using his legs to get the first down!
— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
NOvsNYG on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/fJQqKSa3pg
Two completions and three spikes later, he'd moved to the Saints 14-yard line with a chance to tie or win the game. But as New Orleans introduced pressure to the pocket, McCarthy reversed course, turned away from an open Malik Nabers and floated a duck to a covered Isaiah Likely.
The pass fell incomplete and the Giants fell to 3-2-1 on the season.
This is the duality of McCarthy. He's capable of electric throws downfield. He's a valuable dual-threat presence who can extend plays to allow receivers to get open or run for chain-moving gains. He's also the guy we saw on that opening drive interception entirely too often. Only one starting quarterback since 2017, the first year the stat was recorded on Pro Football Reference, had an on-target throw rate lower than McCarthy's 66.5 last season. That's Anthony Richardson, who remains on the Colts bench even as Daniel Jones sputters his way through another expensive contract extension.
McCarthy is not a good quarterback, at least in the small sample size we've been given in the NFL. He's likely better than Winston, who threw nine passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield Sunday and completed three of them -- two to Saints defenders and a 21-yarder to Likely.
A low-impact passing game can work behind a confident run attack. The Giants do not have that right now. Cam Skattebo played just a handful of snaps and didn't log a single carry following his Week 5 fumble that cost New York the opportunity for an overtime win. Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary and Najee Harris combined for 34 rushing yards on 14 handoffs.
Thus, you need a quarterback who can maximize Nabers, Likely, Fields and Charlie Jones (!) downfield. Coming into Sunday, Winston's on-target throw rate as a Giant (2025 and 2026) was 66.2 percent (and, again, THEY EXTENDED HIM THIS PRESEASON). He's completed just 24 of 59 throws that traveled more than 10 yards downfield. In the intermediate range (10-19 yards) he's 16 of 36 -- worse than any of 2025's starters not named Cam Ward.
Winston is untenable. The evidence we've seen from McCarthy suggests he probably is too. But there's still room to change that with the 23 year old.
He'll probably never shake the accuracy issues that have plagued him in the pros. He'll still make stupid decisions. But if Winston was already your contingency plan, you've accepted high risk, high reward throws. The 2013 NCAA Champion hasn't been able to hold up the second half of the bargain. The 2023 NCAA Champion has.
Harbaugh was non-committal after Sunday's loss when it came to his QB1.
John Harbaugh on who the Giants' starting QB is going forward:
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) October 18, 2026
"I can't answer that now. It's not even up for conversation or discussion right now. ... Those things will all be decided not 10 minutes after the game." pic.twitter.com/ypZcNJvZuk
In just one quarter, McCarthy did enough to suggest his ceiling is higher than Winston's while they have similar basements. The Giants' passing offense can fall apart with either player behind center. But if it's going to make anything happen downfield, McCarthy (sucks air over teeth, flutters eyelids in disbelief) has the better chance to keep New York atop the NFC East.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: J.J. McCarthy isn’t fixed, but he’s the Giants’ best hope (yes, really)