Chris Cwik Contributing writer Wed, October 21, 2026 at 7:17 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New York Giants like what they've seen from quarterback J.J. McCarthy over the past month. Despite trading for the former first-round draft pick less than a month ago, the Giants will start McCarthy against the Houston Texans in Week 7, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
The move comes days after McCarthy replaced Jameis Winston in the team's 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 6.
McCarthy entered the contest with the Giants trailing 34-10 in the fourth quarter. He promptly threw an interception on his first drive.
After that, however, McCarthy was solid, nearly leading the Giants all the way back. On the team's next drive, McCarthy drove the team down the field, allowing Tyrone Tracy Jr. to score on a rushing touchdown. On the drive after that, McCarthy found tight end Isaiah Likely for a touchdown pass.
McCarthy then led the team to a field goal, cutting the Giants' deficit to seven points with just over two minutes to go. While the team got the ball back with one more chance to tie the game, McCarthy couldn't finish a potential game-tying drive.
He went 11-of-21 passing for 243 yards in the loss, with one touchdown and one interception.
The Giants are desperate for help at quarterback following a season-ending injury to Jaxson Dart. With Dart sidelined, Winston was elevated into the starting role. After Week 3, however, the team decided to add another option to the depth chart , giving up a fifth-round draft pick to acquire McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings.
McCarthy initially slotted in as the backup behind Winston. In five games — four starts — this season, Winston has seven touchdowns against five interceptions. He's also taken 15 sacks.
The Giants apparently had seen enough of Winston in Week 6, and benched him in favor of McCarthy. While the 23-year-old couldn't fully lead the team back, he showed enough to earn the trust of the Giants' coaching staff moving forward.
It marks a fresh start for McCarthy, whose NFL career got off to a disastrous start with the Vikings. After being selected by the team with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury.
He returned in 2025, winning the starting job. He flopped in that role, throwing 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in 10 games.
McCarthy quickly fell out of favor in Minnesota, with the team signing Kyler Murray in the offseason. Murray was eventually announced as the team's Week 1 starter, with veteran Carson Wentz serving as his backup. That left McCarthy as the team's No. 3 option on the depth chart to open the season.
Now back in the spotlight, it will be up to McCarthy to put his Minnesota experience behind him and prove he's capable of being a legitimate starter in the NFL. The Texans' defense hasn't played up to expectations yet this season, but should be a challenging first opponent for McCarthy.
Source: Sports
