From J.J. McCarthy to the Center Spot: Giants Storylines Heading Into Week 5

One game at a time.

That’s the mantra New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh has been preaching to his players and staff these days, which makes sense since no one knows what tomorrow brings, let alone a week or two from now.

So for the Giants, who hold a 3-1 record for their best start to a regular season campaign since 2022, it’s all about taking care of business against the Washington Commanders on the road, a team that is expected to welcome back its starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, from his elbow injury.

That won’t be easy, according to Harbaugh, given all that Daniels can do when he plays.

“He's a premier quarterback who can operate just in all those modalities. He's proven himself to be a very dangerous quarterback, so, yeah, we're going to have to be at our best,” he said.

Daniels is good, but he’s also beatable. The Giants' defensive game plan will likely include a spy to help contain the signal caller’s running ability, and perhaps a little trickery up front to collapse the pocket and force the quarterback into errant throws.

How the Giants prepare for Daniels is just one of many storylines for Week 5, as New York looks for its third win in a row for the first time since the 2023 season when they beat Washington, New England, and Green Bay between Weeks 11 and 14 (they had a Week 13 bye that season).

No Respect

Despite their early-season success, the Giants still aren't getting any respect from Vegas, which, per FanDuel, has them as a 3.5-point underdog.

And yes, the players have noticed.

“Yeah, for sure. I mean, stuff like that, definitely,” said cornerback Greg Newsome II when asked if the players have taken note of the odds.

“You always want something to go into a game and just give you an extra motivating boost.”

While the players know where they stand in Vegas’ eyes and are seemingly motivated by the diss, Newsome said they’re not about to let the disrespect consume them.

“We don't really care what the outside world believes,” he said. “We know what we have on this team. We know what we're all about, so at the end of the day, no matter who we play, we just have to go out there and just play to the best of our ability and try to find a way to go 1-0.”

Time for J.J.?

Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy (18) warms up before a game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week Harbaugh admitted that they had a package of plays ready for newly acquired quarterback J.J. McCarthy to run. However, the flow of the game meant they couldn't get to those plays.

So with McCarthy having had several more days to get up to speed on the offense and the protection calls, it stands to reason that he will not only be QB2 this week, but may also have a bigger package of plays that will be whipped out at some point, right?

Harbaugh wasn’t willing to commit to that part, but he did admit that McCarthy being promoted to QB2 ahead of Jake Haener (on the practice squad) is “definitely on the table.”

Who’s at Center?

Did Nee York Giants offensive lineman Bryan Hudson earn another chance to start at center? | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Last week, Harbaugh decided to play Bryan Hudson at center over John Michael Schmitz, who missed a couple of days of practice (Friday and presumably Saturday’s walkthrough) after welcoming his first child.

Hudson played rather well in place of Schmitz, allowing no quarterback pressures in 33 pass-blocking snaps. So given that, one would think that Hudson deserves another chance to start.

Harbaugh, naturally, wasn't ready to commit to that.

“We’ll see,” he said. “Huddy played really well, and we were excited about him going in. So, maybe create some options for us, but (Schmitz) was playing really well too. So, a very good problem to have.”

And again, if the coaches agree with PFF’s take on his pass blocking, it's a very easy call.

Injury Update

Sep 27, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (25) runs of the field before the game against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As usual, there are some injured players to watch for the coming week, starting with safety Jason Pinnock (concussion), who played well in place of Tyler Nubin last week until Pinnock got hurt.

Left tackle Andrew Thomas (groin) is also on the injury report, and the Giants are likely to manage his practice reps moving forward.

Defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck) was the other Giant injured on Sunday. Golston has been quietly having a solid season after last year’s injury-plagued campaign limited him to just 10 games. But there are concerns that he could miss a little bit of time.

Turbocharging the Running Game

Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) celebrates after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No, Dante “Turbo” Miller isn’t returning to the roster. But the Giants' running game could sure use a little juice.

Currently, they're averaging 3.7 yards per rushing attempt, 23rd in the league, despite having the 12th highest total rushing yards (442).

Part of the problem has been ball security—the Giants lead the league with four fumbles by running backs.

They’re also not getting into the end zone, having scored just one touchdown on 119 carries, which ties them for 29th in the league with the Raiders. They're lacking in explosive plays as well, with just one run of 20-plus yards, by quarterback Jaxson Dart in Week 1.

That’s not good news for a unit that will face a decent Commanders run defense that has allowed just 374 yards (sixth in the league) on 94 carries to opponents . It’s also not good news for the Giants if they can’t put together a balanced, effective attack and end up relying on the passing game to move the chains.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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