It’s Only Been Five Quarters, But J.J. McCarthy Is Giving John Harbaugh Plenty to Think About

J.J. McCarthy put it all on display on a sensational 27-yard throw that hit Malik Nabers in stride to the left side of the field during the first half against the Texans. The Giants’ new starting quarterback flashed arm strength, accuracy, confidence and chemistry with a receiver he’s been teammates with for less than a month.

The play also showed a ton of trust, evident in McCarthy’s no-look pass, but this wasn’t as stylish as a blind throw from Matthew Stafford or Patrick Mahomes. Before turning his body away from the action, McCarthy probably had to hope the pass would get there before the two defenders closed on Nabers.

Granted, it’s easy to trust a receiver of Nabers’s caliber. He’ll make most signal-callers look competent, even with limited practice time. But this is McCarthy, the 2024 first-round pick, the Vikings quickly jettisoned because he couldn’t make it work with the great Justin Jefferson.

In just five quarters, McCarthy and Nabers have built a strong partnership. In just five quarters, it’s clear that McCarthy isn’t just leaning heavily on his star player. In just five quarters, McCarthy has gone from potential draft bust to running the show for the first-place Giants, who defeated the Texans, 27–21, in overtime and improved to 4-2-1.

Maybe it’s because I keep reminding myself of how little McCarthy has played for the Giants, but I can’t help thinking beyond 2026. McCarthy has played like a long-term quarterback, the type of player the Vikings envisioned when they selected him with the No. 10 pick in the ’24 draft.

I’m not alone in this thought, but if McCarthy has his career back on track, is that trajectory better than Jaxson Dart’s? I said it, but I’ll remind myself it’s only been five quarters. I’ll let the New York talk shows debate the looming quarterback dilemma that coach John Harbaugh probably isn’t concerned about.

The truth: Harbaugh doesn’t have to commit to Dart because he wasn’t around when the Giants drafted him in the first round of the 2025 draft. The same goes for fan-favorite second-year running back Cam Skattebo, who quickly went from Harbaugh’s doghouse to being one of the heroes of Sunday’s victory. Skattebo’s 42-yard run set up Devin Singletary’s 30-yard scoring run on the following play to win the game in overtime.

Even with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh talking up McCarthy as if he’s a future Hall of Famer before his brother signed off on last month’s trade with the Vikings, John Harbaugh has instilled a no-nonsense mindset since he got to the Giants earlier this year, which also applies to McCarthy. For now, we should view McCarthy as the better option over Jameis Winston—you know, besides in short-yardage situations. Winston had four carries for four yards and a touchdown against Houston, while McCarthy did all the throwing, going 20-of-28 for 252 yards. More importantly, McCarthy and the entire Giants operation had zero turnovers.

Running back Najee Harris didn’t fall in line after complaining about the backfield’s four-man rotation. The Giants quickly cut Harris after his words to reporters, and a few days later, the Giants racked up 188 rushing yards against a stout Texans’ defense.

All this does is give Harbaugh more evidence that his my-way-or-the-highway approach is working. Again, this applies to McCarthy, despite possible rave review from Harbaugh’s younger brother who won a national championship at Michigan with McCarthy.

If McCarthy starts making poor decisions on the field—probably not a good idea to keep doing no-look passes—Harbaugh would likely bench him long before we see a training camp battle between him and Dart.

So, while it’s hard not to not get caught up in the moment of McCarthy looking like an ascending quarterback, he still has plenty to prove to Harbaugh and the Giants. But Vikings fans can’t be happy to see a vastly-improved McCarthy, especially after another sluggish outing from Kyler Murray and the offense. However, it helps that Minnesota beat Indianapolis, 16–10, on Sunday to improve to 6–0.

Part of the reason why it didn’t work for McCarthy in Minnesota is because the Vikings didn’t have the patience to develop him. They had just won 14 games with Sam Darnold the year before and McCarthy became the full-time starter. With Jefferson in the midst of his prime, they couldn’t afford to wait for McCarthy to figure it out or trust that he could stay healthy.

Perhaps McCarthy is benefiting from being on a team where nothing is promised weekly. Besides, he’s already used to playing for a no-nonsense Harbaugh from his days in Ann Arbor. It’s a different kind of pressure to show minimal promise as a first-round pick. That creates awkwardness in the building and conversations that no one wants to have.

But the Giants didn’t pick McCarthy with a top-10 selection. They’ll likely tell him to his face when he’s not playing well and with zero hesitation. Everything is on the table, and everyone knows the expectations.

It’s Harbaugh’s highway, and everyone benefits from it, even if it’s just for a week. No one should expect to be handed a roster spot, even former first-round quarterbacks.

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