The New York Giants beat the Arizona Cardinals 36–24 on Sunday to go 3–1 on the season. It's the team's best start to a season since 2022, which happens to be the last time the franchise made the playoffs. John Harbaugh's Giants are looking good.
The most surprising part about the Giants' start is the fact that their quarterback room has dealt with some uncertainty already this season. Starting quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered damage to his MCL, PCL and meniscus in the Giants' Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He will undergo season-ending surgery.
New York turned to backup Jameis Winston in the meantime, who looked horrible in Week 2. Winston struggled last week against the Tennessee Titans, too, throwing for 118 yards and zero touchdowns. Winston's performances caused the Giants to trade for J.J.
McCarthy, the former first-round pick from the Minnesota Vikings. McCarthy lost his starting job in Minnesota to Kyler Murray this season. McCarthy didn't start in Week 4 against the Cardinals, though, as the Giants want to get him acclimated to the playbook before starting him over Winston.
The Giants' game plan for now seems to be to continue starting Winston until he loses the job. Sunday's performance versus the Cardinals definitely helped Winston's case as he completed 18-of-29 passes for 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. It was his biggest performance of the season so far, so maybe the fire under him has been ignited to keep him on the field for a longer period.
It would be shocking if the Giants rely on Winston the rest of the season, so it's good to know they have a more reliable backup in McCarthy to fall back on when they decide to sit Winston. Even if the Giants eventually sit Winston, he'll go down as the quarterback to lead the team to its best start in years. That's an accomplishment in itself, especially for a 32-year-old backup.
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