J.J. McCarthy Praised by Giants' Harbaugh After Replacing Jameis Winston, Week 7 Starter TBD

The New York Giants aren't ready to name J.J. McCarthy the starting quarterback going forward after he replaced Jameis Winston during Sunday's 34-27 loss against the New Orleans Saints and played well.

But head coach John Harbaugh liked what he saw.

"I thought he came in there and did a heck of a job given the circumstances," he told reporters. "Kinda desperation time, I mean it's different from normal football. But he made some plays and gave us a chance at the end to win the game, ended up throwing the ball into the end zone at the end so that was good."

McCarthy discussed his performance after the game:

McCarthy replaced Winston in the fourth quarter after the veteran starter threw his second interception of the game (he also took four sacks). The Giants trailed 34-10 at the time.

The substitution didn't pay immediate dividends—McCarthy threw a pick of his own. But he promptly led three straight scoring drives, cutting the deficit to 34-27, and the Giants got the ball back with about a minute remaining in the game and the chance to tie it. A 28-yard run from the quarterback and a pair of completions for 29 yards drove the Giants down to the New Orleans' 14 with 13 seconds remaining. A fourth-and-one incompletion ultimately sealed the loss, but not before McCarthy gave the team some life.

▶️Full Saints-Giants Recap

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Overall he finished 11-of-21 for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception, taking a sack. He also rushed twice for 26 yards. Not too shabby for playing one quarter.

Given the topsy-turvy play of Winston, a trend throughout his career, the Giants very well may have a quarterback controversy on their hands. Winston has now thrown for two interceptions and taken four sacks in two of his last three starts, and with the NFC East wide open this year, the Giants have an opportunity they cannot afford to squander.

It's about to be a very interesting week in New York, in other words.