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Fans of the Houston Texans now know who will start at quarterback on Sunday when the New York Giants come to town.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Giants are handing the keys to J.J. McCarthy after his appearance in Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints. First-year coach John Harbaugh had to choose between McCarthy and Jameis Winston, who had started the previous four games in place of the injured Jaxson Dart.
A former top-10 pick, McCarthy entered the game in the fourth quarter Sunday. He threw for 243 yards and led New York on three scoring drives, including two touchdown opportunities.
He provided a spark with his arm and his legs and came within the red zone to lead the comeback at home despite being down by 24 points. McCarthy led three scoring drives and had New York in the red zone before falling short in the final seconds.
Winston, the former No. 1 overall pick, threw for 152 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Saints before being benched. In four-plus games with the Giants, he threw seven touchdown passes and five interceptions.
While still far from being a stable option long-term, McCarthy gives New York more juice to run the offense it designed for Dart leading into the season. After a promising debut in the win over the Cowboys, Dart hurt his knee in Week 2, forcing the Giants to turn to Winston for what was expected to be the rest of the season.
Given that McCarthy offers similar upside in the run game as Dart, this could be the thing to spark a new ignition on offense. Currently, New York ranks 19th in rushing, averaging 104.8 yards per contenst.
The Texans, fresh off their win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, rank third overall in run defense, allowing opponents to average 83 yards per game. They've allowed five touchdowns and only forced two fumbles.