After a night to reflect on the Giants' Week 6 loss to the Saints, head coach John Harbaugh doesn't yet have a firm grasp of who his Week 7 starting quarterback will be: Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy.
"We're working through that now," Harbaugh said Monday when asked if Winston will make another start, "honing in on a decision."
Asked what was going into those QB1 discussions, Harbaugh said determining "what gives us the best chance to win the football game at this given time," and "move the ball, score points, protect the football, etc."
"Whatever it is that furthers us and helps us," Harbaugh said, "that's what we want to do."
Harbaugh's indecision for QB1 on Sunday against the Texans comes after McCarthy replaced Winston in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 34-27 defeat, leading three scoring drives and cutting New Orleans' 24-point deficit to seven points by game's end.
In his first extended appearance with the Giants since he was acquired from Minnesota via trade in September, McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception -- all in the fourth quarter. The third-year QB wasn't afraid to chuck it deep in the comeback attempt. McCarthy's 14.9 air yards per attempt and 17.2 air yards per completion were the most by a QB with at least 20 dropbacks in a game this season, per Next Gen Stats.
He replaced Winston after the veteran threw his second pick of the afternoon. In his fourth start since Jaxson Dart was lost for the season to a knee injury, Winston finished 14-of-26 passing for 152 yards, one TD and two INTs. On the year, Winston (2-1-1) is 90 of 158 (57.0%) for 957 yards, seven TDs and five INTs.
Harbaugh's hesitancy to name a QB on Monday might be a step away from definitively returning to Winston. On Sunday after the game, the Giants coach said a QB change was "not even up for discussion or conversation right now" and that he had "no problem with Jameis whatsoever." Harbaugh's tone Monday was a bit different.
"Jameis has done a great job in so many ways. I just admire and respect him for it. He's helped us win games and did what he had to do to win games, and that's something you value very much," Harbaugh said. "J.J. just got here a couple weeks ago, and where do we stand? We're trying to put an offense together that he's got a feel for and those kind of things.
"All those things are things you factor in."
Our next clue as to who will start next week will come Wednesday when practice reps are divvied up.
"In this situation that we're in, it's a little different than a normal quarterback situation," Harbaugh added. "If our starting quarterback to start the season was there, you wouldn't be having these types of conversations. So there is a little more leeway probably in circumstances like this than there would be normally."
New York, still in first place at 3-2-1, plays the Texans (2-4) in Houston next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
