So far this season, we've seen the Giants play three games: one good, one bad and one ugly. Week one, they played their most inspired game in almost a decade, beating the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium 28-20. Week two, they played arguably their worst game in a decade, getting smoked by the Rams in L.A. 28-6. And week three, they played the ugliest game I've seen them play quite possibly in my lifetime; a game in which they hung on to beat the lowly Tennessee Titans 12-7.
Let's not beat around the bush. If the Giants had played a better team out there, they'd be 1-2 instead of 2-1. The offense, without Jaxson Dart, continued to sputter. Twice the Jints had a first and goal inside the Tennessee five yard line, yet had to settle for a field goal both times. Since week one, when they put up four touchdowns against Dallas, New York's only scoring has come from their place kicker.
For the second straight game the pass rush was non-existent. Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter combined for zero sacks, zero hits, zero hurries and one tackle. The only bright spots on defense were Arvell Reese, who had 13 tackles - one for a loss - and Jevon Holland, whose interception with 24 seconds left in the game, sealed the win for the Giants.
Special teams continued to impress. Dominic Zvada is a perfect 6-6 this season; Jordan Stout has averaged 51.1 yards per punt, including a 78 yarder; and Braxton Berrios has averaged 28 yards on kickoff returns. Harbaugh deserves a ton of credit for addressing what was a weak spot on this team last season.
But the 600 pound gorilla in the room continues to be Jameis Winston. Coming off an abysmal performance against the Rams, he was only marginally better against the Titans, going 14 / 22 for 118 yards. The timing on his passes was still off, and his inability to run with the ball has hampered his team. On the bright side, at least he didn't throw an interception.
Before you blame the weather, remember Cam Ward had to play in the same elements and he was 23 / 36 for 181 yards. And had it not been for a great play by Holland in the end zone, Tennessee would've won this game 14-12. In his two starts, Winston's QBR is 22.9. That's 30th out of 30 starting quarterbacks.
Clearly this cannot continue. While no one believed for a moment the Giants were a legitimate playoff team, having a quarterback with a diminishing skillset playing this poorly is going to eventually take its toll in the locker room. Look what happened last year with Russell Wilson. No way in hell Harbaugh was going to let that happen again.
That might explain why he traded a fifth round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for J.J. McCarthy today. A former 2024 first rounder, McCarthy was 6-4 as a starter last season for the Vikes. He threw for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Like Dart, he is a dual-threat QB with a good arm, who fits Matt Naggy's system more than Winston. Supposedly Harbaugh called his brother Jim before pulling the trigger.
At first, I was ambivalent about this trade. But the more I think about, the more I like it. Despite Harbaugh's insistence that Winston is his starting quarterback "for as long as I can see into the future," I seriously doubt he would've given up a fifth rounder when there were alternatives out there that would not have required draft capital to acquire unless he intended to use him. Ask yourself this question. Three weeks from now when Harbaugh finally pulls the plug on Winston, who would you rather see under center, McCarthy or Jake Haener?
With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if we see McCarthy start against the New Orleans Saints two weeks from now. In fact, we might even see him sooner than that. Harbaugh could use him on certain third down situations the same way Brian Daboll used Dart last season before he became the starter. One thing's for certain: having Winston stand in the pocket like a statue isn't working. No one is fooled. This isn't the '80s or the '90s anymore. To win in this league, you've got to keep defenses honest. Unless your name is Jared Goff, mobility is no longer an option in an NFL quarterback; it's a requirement.
Credit Harbaugh for realizing that much.
As if things weren't bad enough. Before I posted this piece, it was reported by Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport that Brian Burns suffered a torn ACL in yesterday's game and is out for the rest of the season. He led the Giants in sacks last year with 16.5. It was yet another blow to a Giants roster that was already reeling from the loss of Dart last week.
When it rains it pours.
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