DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans are well aware of their Week 7 opponent’s situation, and they do not care.
The New York Giants will visit the Texans in Week 7, and they will have former Minnesota Vikings first-round pick and starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy under center. McCarthy led a furious comeback effort against the New Orleans Saints that fell short.
His reward is facing a Texans defense looking to regain its elite form.
“For us, it really doesn’t matter who plays quarterback,” Ryans told reporters after practice on October 21.
“Defensively, it’s been about our process and how do we do things that we do the right way and do them well. So, whoever’s at quarterback doesn’t really dictate what we’re going to do defensively. It’s about us. We got to play better defensively, because it wasn’t good enough in our last outing.”
Ryans cited the Texans’ tackling woes, which the data backs up.
Oddly enough, Houston averages 4.1 yards allowed after a missed tackle. This ranks 2nd lowest in the league.
— Troy_OTC (@TexansCap) October 21, 2026
His comments were not meant as a shot at McCarthy, though, who has been a polarizing figure since the pre-draft process.
DeMeco Ryans Sends Message About J.J. McCarthy Before Giants-Texans
Like most coaches, Ryans chose to focus on the ways McCarthy poses a threat to the Texans rather than being baited into saying anything derogatory. He commenced the former No. 10 overall pick for stepping in and stepping up for the Giants in Week 6.
“My impression, first impression of J.J. is, watching the New Orleans game, just seeing, right, the change of pace, seeing how he really sparked that offense. You just saw a different speed; You saw him making some big plays as he’s throwing the ball downfield–really, just cutting it loose. You see the athleticism with J.J.,” Ryans said.
“They’ll design some zone read-type plays for him to get out on the edge and run the football. But he gave that offense a spark, gave that team a spark, and I think they saw some belief from their entire team when he’s able to kind of lead them back and have a chance to win that game there at the end. So, I see why they … named him the starting quarterback. Still a young player. He’s still learning, still growing. And for us, I always go back to us defensively. It’s not so much about him. It’s about us just playing our defense the right way.”
J.J. McCarthy says he feels "extremely comfortable" with the Giants' playbook:
"Great teachers in this building, Jameis has helped me out from the get-go since I got here. Coach Nags, Coach Callahan, they've been doing a tremendous job of just making sure I'm up to speed." pic.twitter.com/ungFAm8rZu
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) October 21, 2026
Notably, McCarthy tied with Marcus Mariota of the Washington Commanders for the fourth-lowest offensive grade under pressure among QBs with at least 77 dropbacks under those conditions or blitzed in 2025, per Pro Football Focus.
At the very least, the Texans could force McCarthy into bad decisions with the football or to scramble, minimizing the threat of star wide receiver Malik Nabers.
The Texans are looking for their third win in a row (and of the 2026 regular season).
The Giants enter this contest 3-2-1 and are also looking to course-correct amid their turnover at quarterback and issues elsewhere on the roster. Ryans and the Texans must get back to their top-tier ways defensively to continue their winning streak.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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