The New York Giants fell 34-27 to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, blowing an early 10-0 lead before nearly pulling off the ultimate comeback. New York's offense struggled after halftime, allowing the Saints to build a 34-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw two interceptions before J.J.
McCarthy got called in to replace him. McCarthy immediately gave the offense a spark, throwing for 243 yards in just over 11 minutes and leading three straight scoring drives. He completed 11 of 21 passes, threw a touchdown and an interception, and helped the Giants cut the deficit to just seven points.
He even had an opportunity to tie the game, but McCarthy's fourth-down pass into the end zone fell incomplete. Despite the loss, McCarthy's performance has done enough to earn him a strong endorsement from former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Rex Ryan, who said on Monday morning's episode of "Get Up" the Giants should give him the starting job. "I certainly would play J.J.
"To me, this is the best we've ever seen him on an NFL field ... There was a reason why he was taken as high as he was. I never liked him that much, but quite honestly, I never saw this.
He played his tail off in this thing in the biggest moments. Sometimes, to me, I don't think there's a choice. I think this kid goes in there, and let's go, put Jameis [Winston] on the bench, and let's go play." More news: Chiefs Predicted to Make Blockbuster Trade for Star Receiver McCarthy was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft after leading Michigan to a national championship.
However, a knee injury forced him to miss his entire rookie season. He returned in 2025 to start 10 games for the Minnesota Vikings, but didn't look great, completing just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. The Vikings traded McCarthy to the Giants on Sept. 28 for a 2027 fifth-round pick after New York lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury.
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