Harbaugh hints at more J.J. McCarthy package plays

After a shaky first half in which he threw for just 72 yards on 16 passes, Winston locked in for the second half and nearly led the Giants to a comeback win. Winston completed 21-of-28 passes for 211-3-0 in the second half, leading the Giants on touchdown drives of 63, 75, and 72 yards. Winston connected with tight end Isaiah Likely on a three-yard touchdown pass for his first of the day, and found Likely again for a 17-yard score on a fourth-and-eight to cut Washington’s lead to 27-20. On their final touchdown drive, Winston connected with Malik Nabers four times and found him in the end zone for a leaping touchdown grab to tie the game at 27-27 with less than two minutes left in regulation. In overtime, Winston twice moved the Giants into field-goal range. Unfortunately, they would only get one chance at attempting a go-ahead field goal. After Dominic Zvada missed the first try, a fumble by Cam Skattebo would cost the Giants any hopes of a second attempt to win the game. Winston has thrown for 576 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions in his last two games while attempting just over 60 percent of his passes. He profiles as a mid-to-low-end QB2 next week against the Saints.

Today was something of a “Full Jameis,” as the unpredictable No. 2 quarterback also took four sacks. He thankfully didn’t add any fumbles, while he found each of Malik Nabers, Malachi Fields and reserve TE Theo Johnson for touchdowns. The Nabers grab, a 25-yarder vs. LB Mack Wilson’s hopeless coverage, was Winston’s longest score. His longest completion was a 40-yarder to Fields where he got flushed from the pocket on a third quarter 3rd-and-20. It was a devastating outcome for the Cardinals, to put it mildly. Winston’s mistakes were legion this afternoon — both of his picks were awful, awful passes — but it was a much livelier effort than the G-Men or fantasy managers saw in Weeks 2 and 3. This version of Jameis might actually keep the G-Men in games while holding off J.J. McCarthy for a little while. The Commanders are an unimposing Week 5 road matchup.

This is the second-straight week that Singletary has been made a healthy scratch for the Giants. Najee Harris and Tyrone Tracy will serve as the backups to Cam Skattebo. It’s also worth noting that QB J.J. McCarthy, who was acquired from the Vikings earlier this week, is active for Week 4.

Everyone but Harbaugh knew Dart wasn’t returning for the playoffs the moment his meniscus repair procedure was announced. Harbaugh, meanwhile, held out hope that his starting quarterback could return in time for a deep playoff run. Even he isn’t keeping that facade up anymore, though he noted that Dart’s surgery “went well.” Coming off an ugly win, Jameis Winston will make his second start of the year in Week 4. J.J. McCarthy will get a crack at the job when the Giants inevitably start losing.

New York acquired McCarthy from the Vikings on Monday in exchange for a 2027 fifth round draft pick. Hughes spoke with NFL sources who said “the Giants do not give up a fifth-round pick unless they plan to play McCarthy in the near future.” Head coach John Harbaugh and the team’s coaching staff, per Hughes, see McCarthy as a starting-caliber quarterback despite his immense struggles in Minnesota last season. “The Giants welcomed the chance to add a player they view as a competitor, gritty, mobile, and who has all the tools to be a plus passer in the NFL,” Hughes said. With Jameis Winston playing worse than any QB in recent memory, McCarthy could be just a couple weeks away from taking over as New York’s starter. He would be a mild upgrade for Malik Nabers and the rest of the Giants pass catchers.

Jameis will be the starter for “as long as I can see into the future” per Harbaugh, so we’re guessing maybe 2-3 weeks. It will likely take J.J. McCarthy some time to get up to speed with the Giants. Winston has played woeful football through two appearances, not throwing a touchdown and being held under 120 yards twice despite 49 pass attempts over the past two weeks. Winston will be a bottom-end superflex option in Week 4.

The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the trade. McCarthy landing with John Harbaugh’s Giants feels a bit too on-the-nose given his connection with Jim Harbaugh during his days at Michigan. McCarthy was at one point competing for the Vikings’ QB1 job in camp with Kyler Murray, but was knocked all the way down to QB3 on the Vikings’ depth chart when Carson Wentz took over for Murray in Week 1 and drew the start in Week 2. Assuming Jameis Winston doesn’t suddenly exceed expectations and lead an efficient passing attack, McCarthy will probably get a shot to start at some point when he gets up to speed with the offense. McCarthy has thrown for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 career games while completing 57.6 percent of his passes. We’ll see if a change of scenery is all he needs to turn the corner and live up to the hype that made him the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Giants rotated between punts and field goals in almost perfect succession throughout this contest. They leaned on their ground game with 33 carries compared to 22 pass attempts, so there wasn’t all that much for Winston to do. He took care of the ball with zero turnovers but had just one completion of more than 13 yards, a scramble drill toss to Cam Skattebo for 30. He will have to throw more often and more aggressively versus the Cardinals next week, but the Giants clearly don’t want him playing his normal, gunslinger brand of football. He will barely crack the QB2 ranks for Week 4.

If you have ever thrown a football, get an agent and have them contact the New York Giants. McCarthy and Fields join a list that, per previous reports, already included Gardner Minshew, Mac Jones, and Jimmy Garoppolo. Schefter also named Brandon Allen, who was on the Giants’ roster during training camp, as an option. Jameis Winston will get the start in Week 3, but the journeyman passer looked downright awful in relief of Jaxson Dart last week. The team will be forced to make a move at quarterback if he struggles versus the Titans today. McCarthy would be a true Hail Mary for the G-Men, but he does have a strong tie to the Harbaugh brothers via his time at Michigan.

According to Pelissero, Giants GM Joe Schoen is “working the phones” and a trade could be done as soon as Monday. The Giants gave Dart’s backup Jameis Winston a two-year contract extension just before the start of the regular season. While the Giants are looking to add to their quarterback depth, it seems unlikely that whoever they acquire at this point would be able to unseat Winston as the starter immediately. New York takes on Tennessee in Week 3 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.