The New Orleans Saints beat the New York Giants 34-27 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The Giants led early, then gave up 34 straight points. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw two second-half interceptions, and the Giants pulled him early in the fourth quarter. Backup J.J. McCarthy came in down 34-10 with 11:25 left. He threw for 243 yards and led three scoring drives. SI and Newsweek report that's the most passing yards by any player in an 11-minute span in NFL history. On fourth-and-1 from the Saints' 14, his last pass fell incomplete in the end zone. The Giants got McCarthy from Minnesota in September after starter Jaxson Dart went down for the season. They're 3-2-1 and still lead the NFC East. Head coach John Harbaugh wouldn't name a starter for next Sunday's game at Houston.

McCarthy Should Start Now

Some writers and fans say Winston turns the ball over too much, and McCarthy needs real snaps.

Starting Winston means more turnovers. Ted Nguyen, an NFL writer at The Athletic, says going to McCarthy is the right move. "Winston may have some spike games but he's also very capable of having multiple turnover games like today," he wrote. He also says "McCarthy needs reps to develop." Nguyen warns fans not to expect a rally like that from McCarthy every week.

Many fans want McCarthy to start now. Barstool Sports personality Tommy Smokes posted, "Let him start rest of season." amNY's game recap said the Giants "appear to have found their starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2026 season." McCarthy argued for himself, too. "I hope I just showed them that I can do my job at a high enough level that they can trust me out there," he said.

Winston Has Earned Another Start

Others say one bad game shouldn't cost a first-place team its starter.

One bad game isn't enough to bench Winston. Dan Pompei of The Athletic says the Giants should play McCarthy at some point to see if he's their long-term answer. For now, though, Pompei would keep Winston. "Sticking with him for the time being is probably the smart move," he wrote. He says Harbaugh can switch if Winston keeps playing like he did Sunday. A to Z Sports writer Joe DeLeone agrees. "One rough outing, built on a fumble that flipped the game script, isn't enough to bench the veteran," he wrote. Winston threw three touchdowns the week before against Washington.

Starting Winston at Houston would give McCarthy the bye week to get ready. Yahoo Sports senior reporter Jori Epstein notes the Giants could start Winston at Houston and then use their bye to get McCarthy ready.

Still, McCarthy's Rally Doesn't Prove Much

Skeptics say McCarthy rallied against a team sitting on a big lead, and that doesn't erase his track record.

He already lost a starting job once. McCarthy went 6-4 as the Vikings' starter in 2025, with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In his first season as a starter, he finished last in completion percentage and in touchdown-to-interception ratio. CBS Sports says no other first-round quarterback since 1970 has done that. "Let's not forget that McCarthy was so bad that a very quarterback-friendly coach in Kevin O'Connell gave up on him," The Athletic's Mike Jones wrote. Jones says McCarthy's biggest problem has been consistency.

He faced a defense that hadn't prepared for him. DeLeone points out that New Orleans had prepared for Winston and had little reason to study McCarthy. He says the Giants had to keep throwing while they trailed, and that helped McCarthy.

Where This Lands

Harbaugh said, "I have no problem with Jameis whatsoever." He also said McCarthy "did a heck of a job given the circumstances." Harbaugh said he won't decide "10 minutes after a game." ESPN's Jordan Raanan reports that Harbaugh still believes in Winston and will judge both quarterbacks on performance. Nguyen, amNY and many fans want McCarthy starting now. Pompei and DeLeone want Winston to keep the job for now. Jones doubts McCarthy is the fix at all. Winston says the call belongs to Harbaugh. "That's him, that's a decision that he'll have to make," he said.

Sources