Giants bench Winston, start McCarthy against Texans

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 20:32 · Archive

The New York Giants are benching Jameis Winston and starting J.J. McCarthy against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

The New York Giants are benching Jameis Winston and starting J.J. McCarthy at quarterback against the Houston Texans on Sunday. The decision comes after McCarthy's fourth-quarter performance in the Giants' 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints convinced the coaching staff to move away from Winston, who threw two second-half interceptions in that game.

McCarthy, the 23-year-old acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings less than a month ago, took over when the Giants were down 34-10 late in the game. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown, leading three scoring drives. The New York Post reports that only one non-starting quarterback has thrown for more fourth-quarter yards in a game over the last 25 years. His final pass attempt, on fourth-and-1 from the Saints' 14-yard line with 12 seconds remaining, fell incomplete, denying the Giants a chance to tie or win.

Head coach John Harbaugh defended the decision after the game, saying McCarthy 'did a heck of a job given the circumstances and kind of desperation time.' Winston, meanwhile, had been 2-1-1 as the starter, including leading a 14-point comeback in a tie against the Commanders the previous week. The Texans feature one of the NFL's top defensive minds in head coach DeMeco Ryans and a pass rush tied for third with 18 sacks.

Giants bench Winston, start McCarthy against Texans — Image: New York Post

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How it is being reported

Giants to start J.J. McCarthy against Texans in massive QB shakeupThe Giants have decided who will start at quarterback against the Texans.New York Post · 21 Oct, 20:12
Giants bench Jameis Winston, will start JJ McCarthy weeks after trading for him: reportJ.J. McCarthy's 243-yard fourth-quarter explosion against the New Orleans Saints convinced the New York Giants to reportedly bench Jameis Winston ahead of the Houston Texans game.Fox News · 21 Oct, 17:56

In this story: New York Giants · J.J. McCarthy · Jameis Winston · Houston Texans · New Orleans Saints

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