The New York Giants are 3-2-1 and actually sitting in first place in the NFC East through Week 6, which, let’s be real, nobody in their right mind saw coming. Now, as they head into Week 7, Big Blue is rolling with their third starting quarterback of the season: rookie J.J. McCarthy.
The QB Shuffle Is Real
This whole thing kicked off back in Week 2 when Jaxson Dart went down with a season-ending knee injury. Brutal. Jameis Winston stepped in, and for a hot minute, he was the only play. But then, just one week later, the Giants flipped a 2027 fifth-round draft pick to the Vikings to bring in McCarthy. Remember, he was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 draft. He went from being buried on Minnesota’s depth chart to QB1 in New York for Sunday’s game at Houston. What changed? McCarthy got his chance in relief during last Sunday’s home loss to New Orleans, and he immediately showed everyone why the Giants made the move. He was throwing the ball downfield with more precision, protected the ball way better than Winston, and brought that rushing element Winston just didn’t have. Winston simply wasn’t giving them the passing floor they needed to win games. So, yeah, they went with the younger guy, the one with the higher ceiling.
NFC East is a Mess, Our Hawks Are Still Coming
Okay, so what does this mean for the NFC East? This division is an absolute rollercoaster, man. Bet365 now has the Cowboys as favorites at +120, with the Giants right behind at +210. The Commanders are way back at +500, and get this: the Eagles, who everyone thought were a lock for a repeat, are now dead last at +550. That’s because Jalen Hurts is out for the season with a blood clot concern. Wild. The Giants actually have the 11th easiest schedule remaining, but even that’s not the easiest in the division; the Eagles (9th), Commanders (4th), and Dallas (3rd) all have it a little bit softer on paper. New York is a big underdog against the Texans this week, but then they should be favored in back-to-back division games against the Eagles and Commanders. You’d think Dallas with Dak Prescott has the QB edge, but he’s been struggling with turnovers, trying to make up for a bad defense. Jayden Daniels for the Commanders keeps flashing, but they’re piling up offensive injuries like Terry McLaurin and Jacory Croskey-Merritt around him. For now, McCarthy actually gives the Giants a slight QB edge over the Tanner McKee-led Eagles. Looking ahead, the Giants have six very winnable games out of their last 11. The tough ones? Texans, Jaguars, 49ers, Lions, and the Cowboys twice. Oh, and yeah, they also have to face our Hawks. That’s gonna be a fun one.
Nine Wins and a Dream?
McCarthy isn’t going to fix their running game or defensive problems overnight, we all know that. But what he does bring is a chance in those favorable matchups. And with a healthy Malik Nabers and that mismatch-creating tight end, Isaiah Likely, this “new-look potent passing game” could actually give them a real shot against lesser foes. The Giants are looking at potentially nine wins this season, which, in a down year for the NFC East, might just be enough to take the whole division. It helps that they already snagged a win against the Cowboys. They’ve got to show up and perform, especially on the road against those bigger teams.
So, the Giants are big underdogs going into Houston this Sunday, but then it’s two critical division games. Can McCarthy keep this surprising season alive and lead them to those nine wins? You know we’ll be watching to see if this young gun can keep the Big Blue dream alive and what that means for our own Hawks when they roll into town.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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