For most of the first half of Sunday’s Meadowlands game, the New York Giants dominated. Then the wheels fell off. The Saints’ kicker, Daniel Carlson, hit a 58-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-3, then the Giants fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving New Orleans excellent field position. A Tyler Shough scramble set the Saints up at the two-yard line; he would connect with wide receiver Bryce Lance on fourth-and-goal to tie the game.
This sequence marked the start of 34 unanswered points for the Saints. Shough had a great game, throwing 3 touchdowns and rushing for another score. Keandre Miller led the Saints on the ground with 70 yards on 20 carries, and Chris Olave caught 4 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown.
With the Giants down 27-10 in the fourth quarter, starter Jameis Winston threw an interception that gave the Saints a 34-10 lead, and his day was done. Enter J.J. McCarthy, a former first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, whom the team acquired earlier this year. He almost immediately threw an interception, but after that, he came alive.
McCarthy led two touchdown drives, including a touchdown pass to tight end Isiah Likely, and added a field goal with just over two minutes left to cut the lead to 34-27. New York got the ball back for one last chance to tie it. McCarthy got the ball into the red zone, but on fourth down, his pass to Likely fell incomplete, and the Saints escaped with the win.
It was nearly a storybook ending for McCarthy, who passed for 243 yards in the fourth quarter alone. The Giants now sit at 3-2-1, but with the Eagles and Cowboys out, they sit atop the NFC East. After that performance, McCarthy needs to be named the starter heading into next week.
The Giants offense looked much more competent under McCarthy. He made some big-time throws, and it looked like he may have just needed a change of scenery. Next week, New York faces the Houston Texans, who are two-for-two after opening the season 0-4. The Houston defense is one of the league’s best, so McCarthy will have his work cut out for him, but it offers a great test that, if he passes, will help him make a case for a starting job elsewhere.
