Ever since two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning retired after a 16-year run with the organization, the New York Giants and their fans have had to come to grips with how spoiled they were to witness rare consistency at the sport’s most important position.

Manning finally hung up his cleats after the 2019 season, but even before that decision, the Giants had started testing the waters with other gunslingers around him. Since then, 12 different players have suited up to lead Big Blue and largely failed to live up to his legacy.

Those include Jaxson Dart, who the franchise believes is its long-term answer but who has run into injury problems, including a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, and his initial backup, Jameis Winston, who has assumed the role in the team’s previous four contests.

With head coach John Harbaugh electing to make a change at quarterback ahead of Week 7, J.J. McCarthy becomes the 13th man on the short list, and his first task at the helm won’t be an easy one as the Giants travel to Houston to face the Texans on Sunday.

The Texans’ 2-4 record might not be the shiniest in the league, but they have a few solid pieces that will test McCarthy and the Giants’ roster. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has started to heat up just in time for the Texans to get back one of their key offensive weapons in Tank Dell, who will line up wide opposite another All-Pro threat in Nico Collins.

On the defensive side of the field, Houston boasts what some might argue are the two best pass rushers in football. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are among the most productive duos in the league with 14 sacks and 60 pressures between them in six games, both stats to be feared by a Giants offensive line that has struggled under the weight of injuries.

The Texans’ two advantages have the football public leaning heavily toward the host team and doubting McCarthy, who has started only 10 games since being drafted No. 10 overall in 2024 and has gone through ebbs and flows in Minnesota.

For Harbaugh’s Giants, however, the switch to the former national championship signal-caller has created nothing but confidence throughout the locker room, especially on offense, where McCarthy’s strong arm and capable legs could reopen the full playbook once designed for Dart.

It’s certainly a big spot for McCarthy to prove himself once again. The Giants remain at the top of a very underperforming NFC East, where the three teams below have been crumbling in recent weeks, leaving the door wide open for them to chase a division title with a few more bold wins in the second half of the season.

Coming off a poor team performance against the New Orleans Saints, in which McCarthy entered the lopsided affair in the fourth quarter and nearly brought the Giants back from their deficit, he has no better opportunity to help New York achieve that goal and change the image of his career.

The Giants got all they could squeeze out of the “Jameis Winston experience,” and the veteran deserves kudos for leading the organization into a 3-2-1 start that keeps them relevant in the postseason discussion.

After watching a few wild yet sharply executed drives by McCarthy at the end of a game that should have been an ugly blowout, Harbaugh and the Giants see there is another level they might be able to tap into with the third-year quarterback.

It’s time for the J.J. McCarthy experience for a full 60 minutes in Houston, where the Giants hope to escape with a much-needed win before their bye week.

Check in with New York Giants On SI for all the pregame, in-game, and postgame coverage.

Giants (3-2-1) vs. Texans (2-4)

Regular-Season Series History

Sunday will mark the seventh regular-season meeting between the Giants and Texans since the series began in 2002. New York leads the series 5-1.

The Texans captured the first game on Nov. 24, 2002, with a close 16-14 win over the Giants. Since then, Big Blue has dominated the series, winning the next five games, including the most recent in 2022, when it leveled Houston 24-16.

Most games have been tight, with only two separated by more than 10 points.

Television

The game will air on FOX. For the second straight week, Adam Amin will call the game, former NFL quarterback Drew Brees will be the analyst, and Kristina Pink will report from the sidelines.

Radio

Giants fans can listen to the game on WFAN 101.9 FM. Bob Papa will handle play-by-play, joined by Giants legend Carl Banks as the analyst and Howard Cross as the sideline reporter.

Referee

Land Clark will be the lead referee for Sunday’s contest. Clark has been officiating in the NFL since 2018 and was promoted to referee in 2020. He also has college experience officiating Pac-12 games.