The quarterback, acquired from Minnesota less than a month ago, went 20-for-28 for 272 yards with no interceptions as New York improved to 4-2-1.
J.J. McCarthy made his case for the starting job in his first real test, directing the Giants to a road win over the Texans that pushed New York into sole possession of first place in the NFC East at 4-2-1.
Coach John Harbaugh had spent the previous week publicly weighing McCarthy against Jameis Winston. After the win, he admitted the choice was never much of a debate. "It just wasn't even a question to me," Harbaugh said. "Just was an obvious choice just for the circumstances that we were in and all things considered."
The numbers back him up. McCarthy finished 20-for-28 for 272 yards. No touchdowns, but no interceptions either, and he leaned on a Giants running game that did plenty of the heavy lifting. It wasn't always clean, especially as the game wore on, but McCarthy avoided the big mistakes and let the defense and ground game close it out.
McCarthy was the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft and arrived in New York less than a month ago in a trade that cost the Giants only a fifth-round pick. The Giants now head into their bye week with their quarterback decision looking settled, at least for now.