Jameis Winston Leads Giants Past Cardinals 36-24 as JJ McCarthy Watches
The short version
- The Giants beat the Cardinals 36-24 to improve to 3-1 and stay first in the NFC East.
- Jameis Winston threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions while starting again after Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury.
- JJ McCarthy dressed but did not play in his first game since being traded from Minnesota; Harbaugh said he was active as an option for prepared plays.
- Jake Haener would have been the first quarterback off the bench if Winston had to leave the game.
- New York travels to face the Washington Commanders in Week 5.
Jameis Winston threw three TD passes as the Giants beat Arizona 36-24, and John Harbaugh explained why newly traded QB JJ McCarthy dressed but never played.
The New York Giants ran their record to 3-1 on Sunday, Oct. 4, beating the Arizona Cardinals 36-24 in a home game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Week 4 result kept New York in charge of the NFC East, and it came with Jameis Winston making another start at quarterback.
Winston's afternoon mixed touchdowns with turnovers. He connected on 18 of 29 passes for 250 yards and three scores, while throwing two interceptions. The Arizona defense also brought him down four times behind the line, and those sacks cost the Giants 18 yards.
The veteran continues to lead the offense because of a significant loss further up the depth chart. Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury, a setback that changed New York's plans at the position and cleared the way for Winston, a former Florida State standout, to take the controls.
JJ McCarthy, the quarterback New York acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in a trade just days earlier, was part of the day's storyline as well. He dressed and went through warmups in what was his first game day as a member of the Giants, even though head coach John Harbaugh had indicated it was very unlikely the newcomer would get on the field so soon after arriving. McCarthy ultimately did not play.
Afterward, Harbaugh explained the reasoning behind making McCarthy active. His comments were distributed by the Associated Press and passed along by ESPN. "It just gave us an option in case we wanted to put J.J. out there and run certain plays that we had prepared for him," Harbaugh said.
New York also kept Jake Haener active as a second available quarterback against the Cardinals. That arrangement meant that if Winston had needed to come out at any point, Haener, rather than McCarthy, would have been the first quarterback called upon.
The change of scenery gives McCarthy a chance to reset after a difficult stretch in Minnesota. The Vikings drafted the former Michigan star 10th overall in 2024, but he was beaten out for the starting job by Kyler Murray, a veteran addition to the roster, and he then found himself behind Carson Wentz on the depth chart as well.
At 23, McCarthy's immediate tasks with the Giants are absorbing a new playbook and getting comfortable in new surroundings. Sunday let him go through a full game day with his new team, though his first snaps in a New York uniform will have to wait.
The Giants exited the weekend at 3-1, holding first place in the NFC East standings after the home victory. Next on the schedule is a Week 5 road game against the Washington Commanders, a division opponent. When McCarthy might first take the field for New York remains to be seen.
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