After a rather positive start to the John Harbaugh era for the New York Giants, many on the outside wanted to see them handle their business against a lesser opponent in the New Orleans Saints before opening the door to any discussion of their legitimacy as a playoff team.
Big Blue appeared headed for a dominant performance when it carried a 10-0 lead deep into the second quarter. But the day flipped in the final two minutes of that period, when the Giants followed a 58-yard Saints field goal with a costly kickoff return fumble by Charlie Jones that shifted all the momentum in the visitors’ direction.
The Giants went on to hand New Orleans 34 unanswered points as boos rained down from the MetLife Stadium bleachers.
Harbaugh eventually pulled Jameis Winston in garbage time and let backup J.J. McCarthy earn meaningful game reps, sparking an 11-minute rally that knocked on the door of the end zone. Still, one would think the 34-27 loss would cost the franchise ground in the league order.
Surprisingly, it did not in the mind of SI.com’s Conor Orr, who left the Giants untouched last week and moved them up one spot to No. 20 in his newest MMQB NFL power rankings for Week 7.
The Great McCarthy Debate
Beyond the fact that they were steamrolled at home by a Saints team reeling from a three-game losing streak, the biggest storyline from Sunday’s game remains which quarterback Harbaugh will run his offense with moving forward.
As Orr noted in his analysis of the Giants’ looming quarterback debate, an honest critic would acknowledge it’s unfair to place all the blame for the poor result on Winston. He certainly deserved some complaints for his two interceptions, which led to 10 of New Orleans’ unanswered points.
Beyond his stat sheet, the Giants had little else to write home about. They ran a befuddling backfield rotation that generated just 34 yards, an average of 2.3 yards per carry, from their four suited running backs.
At the same time, the defense let a 30th-ranked Saints unit bury them for 175 yards, the second-highest total allowed this season.
However, the fanbase became instantly divided as soon as it saw McCarthy, who took just five snaps, two of them passing, in the Week 5 tie with the Commanders, replace the beleaguered veteran and immediately layer the football to the tune of a historic 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception that nearly brought the Giants back from the grave.
From the organization’s perch, the narrative around McCarthy has been patience, as he’s been going through a crash course in the Matt Nagy offensive system following his trade from Minnesota. Still, after an entrance of that level, and with frustrations boiling over Winston’s shortcomings, the Giants now face arguably the most important decision of their season.
One side, including Orr, wants Winston to keep the reins for at least another week as the Giants brace for a daunting Houston Texans pass rush next Sunday. A separate and arguably larger contingent wants to see what McCarthy can bring to the table over a full game.
The reality is that the Giants are 3-2-1 after six games and, despite their bad loss, are still in first place in an NFC East that could end up the ugliest division in the league.
Their schedule is set to toughen up after their Week 8 bye, and the second-half slate includes four more divisional matchups that could determine which team from that group joins the playoff picture come January.
With Harbaugh in command, the franchise’s overarching goal has been to change the culture dramatically and gear it toward finding ways to win football games no matter what it takes.
Of course, the prospects of doing that for much of the season took a hit as soon as Jaxson Dart went down in Week 2. But as Harbaugh weighs his big decision, that goal should ultimately guide his choice.
He can’t get caught up in fears that throwing his newly acquired gunslinger to a pack of wolves in the Texans’ defense will stunt all hopes of McCarthy salvaging his career and building a potential long-term future in the NFL.
There really is no soft landing point left for the former No. 10 pick other than the situation he entered on Sunday, and given the initial results, it might be time to take the training wheels off and see if the former disciple of Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, is ready to push the team toward contention.
We’ll see which way Harbaugh leans as he and the Giants try to get back on the winning track at a pivotal moment for the franchise.
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