Giants' QB plans get complicated after Jameis Winston collapse, J.J. McCarthy surge originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Decisions are never easy in the NFL. It may seem like a clear-cut choice to play a certain starter, and then that guy has a bad day, and you're back to wondering if he should even start in the next big matchup. The New York Giants' quarterback situation certainly got more complicated after their Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, 34-27.
The Giants, of course, are without franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart, who's out with a season-ending injury. They've been playing with veteran Jameis Winston, and they've still been able to win games, but that didn't happen on Sunday. Winston was playing so poorly that head coach John Harbaugh decided to try the player they just traded for from the Minnesota Vikings, Michigan product J.J. McCarthy.
J.J. McCarthy gives the New York Giants a boost after Jameis Winston struggles against the Saints
In a piece published about the NFL's Week 6 games, Bobby Kownack of the NFL's official website notes that you "never know what you're going to get from Jameis Winston" and that the quarterback is inconsistent. He came into Sunday's game "after throwing three touchdowns without an interception in two straight outings for the first time in his career," Kownack notes, but he didn't play that way on Sunday.
The Giants had a 10-point lead in the game, but then they stalled. That allowed the Saints to come back. Eventually, Harbaugh benched Winston after he overthrew two passes for interceptions in the second half.
McCarthy entered the game with just 11:25 remaining and the Giants trailing by 24 points. He had a rough start, throwing an interception early, but then fought back. Kownack notes that McCarthy was "far more dynamic than Winston in the pocket and provided a much-needed spark."
The quarterback "helmed scoring drives of 45, 73, and 79 yards, and almost led Big Blue to another TD after getting the ball back with just under a minute left," he adds.
So, all things considered, it was a massive fourth quarter that showed McCarthy can't be ignored. Now, Harbaugh and the Giants have a tough decision to make. Who starts at quarterback in their next game?
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