Giants to Start J.J. McCarthy Against Texans After Late Rally in Loss to Saints

The New York Giants will start quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Sunday against the Houston Texans after he led a late rally in a 34-27 Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Coach John Harbaugh replaced Jameis Winston with McCarthy early in the fourth quarter. Winston had thrown two second-half interceptions as the Giants gave up 34 unanswered points after leading by 10. McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and rushed for 26 yards, the most on the team that week. The Giants scored 17 unanswered points. McCarthy, the former 10th overall pick by Minnesota, was traded to New York on Sept. 28. The Giants are 3-2-1, lead the NFC East, and are 10.5-point underdogs in Houston. The Texans started 0-4, but C.J. Stroud threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Jacksonville and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Houston will be without running back David Montgomery. Former NFL coach Rex Ryan backed the trade and Harbaugh's decision.

Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing; alternative/independent and right-leaning outlets had. The right-leaning New York Post frames it as a betting preview, leading with McCarthy's chance to start and the double-digit underdog line. It notes that the market still remembers his poor last season with the Vikings, and it spends most of its space on Houston's passing options and the Giants' pass defense. It says the Giants trailed 31-10 and describes McCarthy's 243 yards as an NFL record for most yards within 11 minutes. Newsweek, the alternative outlet, focuses on the reaction to the decision, giving the score as 34-10 when McCarthy entered. It includes his full stat line and Winston's interceptions, and it features Ryan's quote calling McCarthy a similar, though lesser, quarterback to Jaxson Dart. Both agree on the 34-27 final score, McCarthy's 243 yards and his start against Houston.