Giants Pivoting To J.j. Mccarthy As Starting Qb After Surprising Comeback Bid: Report

New York Giants coach John Harbaugh wasn't ready to entertain a quarterback change in the immediate aftermath of a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Oct. 18.

A few days later, the heavily anticipated switch behind center is reportedly coming to fruition.

J.J. McCarthy will replace Jameis Winston as the team's starting signal-caller for the Week 7 game against the Houston Texans, according to an ESPN report Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Winston took over the lead role after Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The 12th-year veteran was largely uneven in his first three starts, but the Giants went 2-0-1 during that span and seized the NFC East lead.

Against the Saints, however, Winston threw two interceptions and was pulled early in the fourth quarter with New York trailing by 24 points. McCarthy, however, led three scoring drives to bring New York within striking distance of a stunning comeback. His fourth-down throw to the end zone sailed incomplete to end the rally.

McCarthy finished with 243 yards and a touchdown and one interception on 11-of-21 passing.

After the game, Harbaugh stifled any talk of an immediate change, saying such a move was "not even up for discussion or conversation right now." A day later, however, he said the coaching staff was "honing in on a decision."

"I mean, Jameis has done a great job in so many ways, and I just admire him and respect him for it," Harbaugh said Monday. "He's helped us win games and did what he had to do to win games, and that's something you value very much. And J.J. just got here a couple weeks ago and where do we stand? We're trying to put an offense together that he's got a feel for and those kinds of things. So, all those things are things you factor in."

McCarthy, whom the Giants acquired on Sept. 28 in the aftermath of Dart's injury, is set to make his first start for his new team after the unceremonious end to his run with the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to being dealt, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft had been demoted to the third string after losing the starting quarterback competition to Kyler Murray over the summer.

McCarthy will take on a Texans defense that struggled in the early going to follow-up on last year's dominant campaign, in which the unit allowed the fewest yards per game in the NFL. After allowing more points than any AFC team through four weeks, head coach DeMeco Ryans took back play-calling responsibilities from defensive coordinator Matt Burke.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants pivoting to J.J. McCarthy as starting QB after surprising comeback bid: Report