J.J. McCarthy Just Accidentally Saved the Giants' Season

As Adam Schefter reported, J.J. McCarthy just won his first career start for the New York Giants, taking down the Houston Texans 27-21. If you had a mid-season trade acquisition saving the Giants' season on your bingo card, please report to the nearest casino immediately.

The Giants' quarterback situation this year has been a masterclass in chaos. Jaxson Dart went down in Week 2, leaving the keys to Jameis Winston. Winston did exactly what Winston does, throwing two interceptions last week against the New Orleans Saints before getting benched in the fourth quarter.

"Adam Schefter reported: 'JJ McCarthy gets a win in his first start as the Giants QB.'"

Enter McCarthy. New York flipped a fifth-round pick for him just three weeks ago. He was supposed to be an emergency backup, but after nearly pulling off a 24-point comeback against the Saints, the coaching staff had no choice but to hand him the starting job.

Against Houston, McCarthy did something completely foreign to recent Giants football. He played normal, boring, mistake-free football. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. A 99.1 passer rating is not going to win you a fantasy league, but it will absolutely win you a football game when your defense holds up.

The win pushes the Giants to 4-2-1, keeping them in first place in an NFC East that is currently falling apart. With the Philadelphia Eagles sitting at 2-4 and putting Jalen Hurts on injured reserve, the division is wide open. Anyone holding a preseason Giants division winner ticket is suddenly feeling a lot better about their life choices.

Now, the Giants get a perfectly timed bye week. That gives McCarthy a full two weeks to actually learn the rest of the playbook before a massive divisional showdown against Philadelphia on November 8. The J.J. McCarthy era is officially here, and it is entirely by accident.