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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The New York Giants suffered a frustrating 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 6 after surrendering a 10-point lead and giving up 34 unanswered points.
Starting quarterback Jameis Winston struggled, throwing two interceptions in the second half before head coach John Harbaugh turned to J.J. McCarthy early in the fourth quarter, with New York trailing 34-10.
McCarthy immediately got the Giants back in the game. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown with one interception, helping them score 17 unanswered points and nearly complete an improbable comeback. He also rushed for 26 yards, the most of any player on the team that week.
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New York ultimately fell short against the Saints, but McCarthy did enough to earn him the starting nod Sunday against the Houston Texans, giving him an opportunity to establish himself over a full game.
Speaking ahead of the game, former NFL coach Rex Ryan backed the Giants' decision to trade for McCarthy and Harbaugh's decision to roll with him as their starter.
"It's the same exact offense you wanted to run with Jaxson Dart as your quarterback," Ryan said. "He [McCarthy] is a similar quarterback, not as good as Jaxson Dart, but he's similar. And wouldn't it be something if this kid hits. Now you have two young quarterbacks that can play in your system, both under rookie contracts. That is a smart play by John Harbaugh."
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The Giants sent the Minnesota Vikings only a 2027 fifth-round pick to acquire McCarthy, a former 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, still on his rookie contract for the next two seasons plus a fifth-year team option in 2028. That's an incredibly low-cost, low-risk gamble to take on a young quarterback who has shown flashes in his short time in the league.
Like Dart, McCarthy can threaten defenses as both a passer and a runner. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has already praised him for his mobility, allowing the Giants to restore parts of the offense that had been missing once Winston took over. That includes more designed quarterback runs, play-action passes, and read-option concepts.
His time in Minnesota didn't end well. Last season, his first as the starter, he completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns with 12 interceptions across 10 games, along with 181 rushing yards and four rushing scores. But he's still just 23 years old and won a national championship under Jim Harbaugh, John's brother, at Michigan.
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If McCarthy plays well, the Giants could have found a promising starting quarterback for a fraction of the cost of acquiring an established veteran. But that also creates an interesting dilemma for New York next season once Dart returns.
Dart looked like he was about to break out and establish himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league before the injury. If McCarthy plays well, the team would then have two young players with similar skill sets competing for the same job. For now, McCarthy has a chance to prove the trade was worth it, but this will be an interesting situation to monitor heading into the offseason if he ends up turning the Giants' season around.
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