The Jameis Winston experiment looks ready to end for the New York Giants. Winston looked like he threw away the New Orleans Saints game; taking four sacks and throwing two interceptions. JJ McCarthy ignited this offense once he stepped in during the second half.
Plus showed the Giants, plus coach John Harbaugh, why he's deserving of QB1 moving forward. This despite taking the 34-27 loss to the NFC South franchise.
McCarthy originally came in via trade with the Minnesota Vikings. All because of Jaxson Dart losing the rest of his 2026 campaign with his devastating Week 2 NFL Injury to the Los Angeles Rams. Winston still earned the starting nod given his own deep experience behind center.
McCarthy, though, responded to an early interception by tossing a touchdown pass. He managed to find tight end Isaiah Likely for a 24-yard scoring connection that sliced the lead to 10.
Article Continues BelowJJ McCarthy connects with Isaiah Likely for the Giants TD 👀 pic.twitter.com/brC77yp2Yq
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 18, 2026
McCarthy still hit 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards. Winston, meanwhile, delivered 14 completions out of 26 attempts and tossed one touchdown. But still delivered the most turnovers and sacks on the day.
Winston has shown to be great in the locker room for motivational purposes. But Harbaugh must come to grips with reality. Fact is, McCarthy isn't so much a younger option, but showed he can lead this offense to efficient results when called upon. NYG looked so much faster on offense and became less stalled.
Harbaugh also has created renewed energy within the franchise with how competitive the Giants have looked so far. At 3-2-1, the Giants have risen as an early NFC East contender. Placing McCarthy as the permanent QB1 moving forward makes more sense.