Jameis Winston is 2-1-1 in his four starts under center in place of the injured Jaxson Dart, but the team also traded for J.J. McCarthy last month, who received his first extensive action as a Giant during Sunday's 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints. After Winston threw his second interception of the game and set up the Saints with an opportunity to extend their lead to 24 points, John Harbaugh made the decision to replace him with McCarthy.
The former No. 10 overall pick of the Minnesota Vikings came in and led three straight scoring drives, and had the Giants in position to send the game to overtime. McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and may have stolen the starting job from Winston. The Giants sit atop the NFC East with a 3-2-1 record.
With the Dallas Cowboys' tragic defense and Jalen Hurts sidelined indefinitely with a blood clot, New York has an inside track to a playoff berth. This is not just a lost season because Dart went down in Week 2. So, should Harbaugh start McCarthy in Week 7 when the Giants travel to Houston to take on the Texans?
Or, should he stick with Winston? Let's take a look at some pros and cons of promoting McCarthy to starter. If you watched the Giants game on Sunday, you know how frustrating it was.
New York jumped out to a 10-0 lead -- only to allow the Saints to score 34 unanswered points. With the game tied at halftime, the Saints scored 17 points in the third quarter, while the Giants went three-and-out and then turned the ball over. After another three-and-out followed by another interception, Harbaugh knew something had to be done.
That's when McCarthy went in. McCarthy threw an interception on his fourth passing attempt, but then led a six-play, 52-yard drive that was capped by a Tyrone Tracy Jr. touchdown and a successful Isaiah Likely two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 16 points. Following a Saints three-and-out, McCarthy took the Giants offense 73 yards down the field on just three plays, and hit Likely for a 24-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point game.
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