Giants are turning to J.J. McCarthy over Jameis Winston as their starting QB at Houston

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — John Harbaugh and the New York Giants are turning to J.J. McCarthy to start at quarterback for their game Sunday at Houston.

McCarthy got the nod over Jameis Winston, who started the previous four games since Jaxson Dart was sidelined for the foreseeable future because of a knee injury.

“It’s all things considered what gives us the best chance to be our best, give us the best chance to play the best offense we can,” Harbaugh said upon making the announcement following practice on Wednesday. “I thought Jameis has done a tremendous job: won us games, played well, but as we go forward here, this is going to be our direction. We think it gives us some good options on offense.”

The Giants (3-2-1) are in the middle of the pack on offense league-wide as they start a third player in seven games at football's most important position. They have their bye week after playing the Texans but are making the change to McCarthy now that he has fully grasped offensive coordinator Matt Nagy's system.

“He’s got the game plan down," Harbaugh said. “He can throw it. He’s picked up the offense really quickly. He’s an athletic guy, obviously, and he’s going to play some good football.”

Harbaugh said there was no debate over Winston starting against New Orleans last weekend. Winston threw two interceptions before getting replaced by McCarthy early in the fourth quarter with New York down 34-10.

“Last game, it wasn't what it was capable of being," said Winston, who has completed 57% of his passes for 957 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions this season. "Every single week as a football team, you’re defined off of the last time you stepped foot on the field, so I believe that, based off last game and my job is to lead the New York Football Giants to a win, that didn’t happen.”

Facing little resistance from the Saints given the score, McCarthy was 11 of 21 for 243 yards and led multiple scoring drives, getting to within seven before an incomplete pass on fourth down in the final minute.

“It was really fun to just be out there with this group and be able to execute the plays and Coach Nags trusting me to run his offense and just super thrilled to be back out there playing again,” McCarthy said. “There was some good things. There was some bad things.”

McCarthy is more mobile than Winston but has only been around just over three weeks since being acquired from Minnesota for a fifth-round draft pick in a late-September trade. Sunday's game is set to be the 23-year-old's 11th NFL start, after he made 10 for the Vikings last season, and he feels more prepared this time around.

“I believe just experience does wonders: being able to be in that same situation where you might have made a mistake the last time,” McCarthy said. “This time, you’re just going to react better and make a more well-rounded-response decision in that situation.”

His Giants debut is taking place in the same stadium in Houston where McCarthy won the national title with Michigan on Jan. 8, 2024. His coach at the time was Jim Harbaugh, John's younger brother.

McCarthy had 11 TD passes and 12 interceptions with Minnesota. He lost the starting job there in training camp to free agent addition Kyler Murray.

Sitting in first place in the NFC East, the Giants are banking on McCarthy making good on his growing confidence. He ran his first practice with the starters on Wednesday, and teammates are getting used to having someone new at the helm.

“He has to know how fast this guy is, how slow this guy is and how he likes to run his routes,” receiver Darnell Mooney said. "There’s some things we’ve still got to work on. If it works out well, it works out well. If it doesn’t, we still have to continue to build that chemistry.”

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New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy (18) warms up ahead of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy (18) warms up ahead of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy (18) throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Even though Jerry Jeudy is no longer a focal point in the Browns' passing game, he has come up with big plays in Cleveland's past two wins.

The seventh-year wide receiver had two fourth-quarter catches in last week's 13-10 win over Baltimore, including a 33-yard reception on the game-winning drive that got the Browns into field-goal range. He also had two receptions for 27 yards on the go-ahead drive in Cleveland's 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 1.

Jeudy received the game ball from coach Todd Monken after the win over the Ravens put the Browns at 4-2 and tied for first in the AFC North.

“It meant a lot to me and getting that win for our team. It was a big rivalry division game. So getting that win just meant a lot to everybody," Jeudy said.

Going into Sunday's game at Tennessee (1-5), Jeudy has at least three receptions in each of the past three games, but his production after six weeks is the lowest of his career. His 220 snaps are the fewest of his career through his first six games along with 12 receptions for 150 yards.

Jeudy knew during the offseason that his role was going to change after the Browns drafted K.C. Concepcion and Denzel Boston during the first two rounds. Boston took over Jeudy's starting spot as one of the outside receivers two weeks into training camp as Monken looked to line him up at various spots.

Even though Jeudy is lining up more in the slot compared to previous seasons, he is still being used nearly three-quarters of the time as an outside receiver.

“Of course, as a receiver, as a competitor, knowing the guy I am, it’s pretty frustrating not able to perform how you know you can perform,” Jeudy said before Wednesday’s practice. “I could look at it two ways. I could be that guy and just feel down on myself and just fade away from the team and fade away from the NFL, or I could just go back to the drawing board and just look at the things that I need to get better at and work on to continue to better my career.”

Even though Jeudy's impact on the field has decreased, he has been a veteran presence for Concepcion and Boston, who are among the top five in the league among rookie receivers. Concepcion is third in receptions (22) while Boston leads with 345 yards and is sixth in receptions with 17.

“He’s always doing what he’s supposed to do. Always trying to show us rookies, as in me and KC, the different types of techniques and just passing on the game to us,” Boston said. “And for him to go out there and be able to come clutch in those moments was just great. And then also just to see one of your leaders on your team get to get his. It was always just a great energy for the team.”

After Jeudy had only two catches combined the first three games, Monken has tried to get him more involved in the passing game. The win over the Ravens also showed that the Browns finally have depth at the position.

Five of Cleveland’s top six players in receptions last season were either a running back or a tight end, and the team’s 117 receptions and 1,467 receiving yards by wide receivers were last in the league.

“I mean, we’re better with Jerry than we are without Jerry. And I think we’re doing a better job of getting him involved and trying to find the places where we can use Jerry," Monken said. "And it hasn’t been easy, as I said before. But he’s handled it well the last few weeks, and you can see it with the confidence playing, the juice he has. And that’s the biggest thing, from practice to the games, carrying that over.”

The other question is if Jeudy will still be around to share in the Browns' success? Some have wondered if he could be traded before the Nov. 10 deadline if a team needs another receiver.

Jeudy was acquired from Denver in 2024 and signed a three-year extension with the Browns.

“You see it, but you can’t do nothing about it. You just continue to do what you do every day,” he said.

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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) celebrates after completing a catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cleveland, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, right, runs the ball past Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks during the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)