The New York Giants made a quarterback change on Sunday, but the immediate results of the move were more or less what everyone expected.
The Giants opted to bench Jameis Winston after he threw a pair of interceptions during the second half of Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Backup JJ McCarthy took his place, and on just his fourth passing attempt of the game, McCarthy made like Winston and threw an ugly interception to New Orleans Saints cornerback Martin Emerson.
The reaction on social media was almost universal. Most questioned why the Giants would have expected McCarthy to be any better than Winston in terms of avoiding turnovers.
The Giants benching Jameis Winston just for JJ McCarthy to come in and immediately throw an INT https://t.co/aj7pUzrzUa
— GhettoGronk (@ghetto_gronk) October 18, 2026
JJ McCarthy has learned a lot from Jameis Winston https://t.co/bCWMJiWVCf
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 18, 2026
JJ McCarthy throws interceptions at a higher rate than Jameis Winston .. who is know as the guy who throws a lot of interceptions ..
— Weenz (@DaWeenz) October 18, 2026
In reality, benching Winston for McCarthy was probably more about shaking things up than anything else. The Giants were down 34-10 at the time of the switch, their offense looked stagnant, and they had nothing to lose.
The move actually worked, as McCarthy was able to get the offense moving, threw for a touchdown, and nearly rallied the Giants all the way back. It was not enough as they still lost 34-27 to New Orleans, but it was better than what Winston had been giving them. Still, this is not what John Harbaugh meant or wanted when he discussed a bigger role in the offense for McCarthy during the week.
