This time last year, if J.J. McCarthy had heard he would be setting an NFL record, he probably wouldn’t have believed it. However, now with the New York Giants, McCarthy pulled off a shocker, surprising fans and getting their attention. His wife, Katya, made sure to send him some encouragement.
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“Love you,” she wrote on her Instagram story, sharing a video from a previous game she had attended. McCarthy was over by the sideline and kissed his wife in that clip.
Katya had been watching the Giants-Saints game from home. She posted another video on her story featuring their son, Rome, who was “cheering for Dada.”
McCarthy entered the game with the Giants trailing 34-10 and around 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Head coach John Harbaugh had pulled Jameis Winston after his second interception of the half, turning to McCarthy in a situation that left almost no room for error.
McCarthy responded with 243 passing yards in the fourth quarter, the most any QB had ever thrown in 11 minutes during a game!
All after two whole years of uncertainty and disappointment with the Minnesota Vikings, who drafted him in 2024. Turns out, he just needed a change in environment.
It was of no avail for the Giants, as they still lost the game 34-27. But McCarthy made his opportunity count.
McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes, threw one touchdown and one interception. His first drive ended with an interception, but he settled in and helped the Giants put together three scoring drives. New York scored 17 unanswered points, turning what looked like a lost afternoon into a contest that had Saints fans sweating by the end.
The comeback began when the Giants found the end zone through running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., with McCarthy completing the two-point conversion to Isaiah Likely. He then threw a 49-yard completion to Charlie Jones, an incompletion, and a 24-yard touchdown pass to Likely in their next possession.
New York had a chance to make it a one-possession game but failed to convert another two-point attempt.
The final opportunity came on fourth-and-one at the Saints’ 14-yard line. McCarthy’s pass to Likely fell incomplete, ending the rally in a 34-27 defeat.
Even with the loss, McCarthy’s performance left a clear question for the Giants: had he done enough to earn a bigger role? Harbaugh did not offer an answer after the game, stressing that the team needed to return to work.
“I can’t answer that now. It’s not even up for discussion or conversation right now. We’ve got to go back and go to work. I have no problem with Jameis whatsoever. I love the way he competes, I love the way he fights all those kind of things. His play was up and down today, for sure, but those things will all be decided not 10 minutes after a game.”
Winston put the loss aside to acknowledge McCarthy’s performance.
“Man, he was able to rally us up, and he did a great job. I was proud of him, proud of what he did.”
McCarthy, meanwhile, spoke about the belief he has felt since joining the team. The Giants acquired him in a trade with Minnesota on September 28, and Sunday marked his first appearance for New York.
“This team, since I got in the door, you could tell there was something special about them. The way Coach Harbaugh just instills this kind of confidence, belief, but it’s through the work and the preparation and it’s not just talk. Just being able to be a part of this group is extremely special.”
The Giants now turn toward their next game against the Houston Texans, with the quarterback decision still unsettled. McCarthy’s fourth-quarter showing will only intensify the discussion, even if it did not change the result against New Orleans.