The New York Giants  sit all alone in first place in the NFC East with a 1.5-game lead, a position that they would undoubtedly like to retain through Week 18, preferably with a larger cushion if possible.

For that to happen, though, head coach John Harbaugh faces a crossroads at the most important position on the team: quarterback.

After losing starter Jaxson Dart seven snaps into what became the team’s Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the offense has been placed in the hands of 12-year veteran Jameis Winston.

But in doing so, the offense has had to move away from the RPOs and designed runs built into the playbook to capitalize on Dart’s mobility and shift toward a more traditional dropback, downfield offense that has changed the entire complexion of the Giants.

Adding to that is what’s become known as the “Jameis Winston Experience,” which in football terms means that while Winston can deliver some big-time throws, with that comes a high degree of risk.

According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced data, this season, Winston has had eight turnover-worthy plays in 178 dropbacks, or one for every 22.25 dropbacks. J.J. McCarthy, in an admittedly smaller sample size (23 dropbacks), has had only one such play.

Harbaugh told reporters Monday that the team was still working through who to start against Houston this coming weekend, leaving the door open for a potential change.

But should that change happen this week? Let’s look at both sides of the coin.

Why Winston Should Remain the Starter

A big issue Harbaugh and his staff need to balance is the urgency to make a change (if they feel one is warranted) versus McCarthy’s readiness to handle not only a full game plan, but enough of the playbook if adjustments are needed.

“To me, that’s got to be maybe the main thing. I mean, you can never be ready,” he said. “You just got to go out there and play. That’s one part of it.

“But the other part of it is you got to be able to be successful and protect yourself. If it’s a performance-type situation, you’ve got to be able to perform at a high level, give yourself a chance to be successful, but also the team, right, to be successful.

“So, with a quarterback, since that’s what we’re talking about, what kind of a grasp does he have on all the things he’s going to need to do with just operating the offense, and understanding the terms and its cadences and the checks and all those kinds of things, and to what degree are you able to do all those things? Is it enough to run your offense? And that’s something that we have been grappling with.”

Based on that point alone, it’s fair to wonder whether it makes more sense for the Giants to stick with Winston against a very difficult Texans defense and plan for a softer landing spot for McCarthy, such as what he’d likely get after the bye against the Eagles.

The other factor is that the Texans are an AFC team. If the Giants lose to the Texans, it shouldn’t cost them much in the NFC East division standings because the Commanders have their bye this week and the Cowboys and Eagles go at it on Monday Night Football.

Even if the 2-4 Cowboys win that game, the Giants, if they lose to Houston, would still be in first place in the division in part because they hold a 1-0 advantage over Dallas thanks to their Week 1 win.

Why the Giants Should Switch to McCarthy

There’s no really good time to make a switch, nor, as Harbaugh admitted, is there ever a time when one can say for certain that a guy is fully ready for a bigger role.

But with that said, McCarthy gives the Giants something they don’t have with Winston: a mobile quarterback who can not only move the pocket but also extend plays with his legs.

McCarthy’s ability to operate the RPO game gives the opposing defense another potential running threat to account for. It can also reduce the number of stacked boxes the Giants face.

To put that into perspective, this season the Giants have faced a stacked box on 77 of their rushing attempts, the sixth most in the league. They average 3.0 yards per rushing attempt against stacked boxes, which is 17th in the NFL.

Putting in a quarterback who can run should theoretically loosen things up and let the running game find success again.

Prediction

There are many other reasons for and against a change at quarterback, including locker room reaction. Winston is not solely to blame for everything that has gone wrong with the team so far.

The question also creates a distraction if the debate continues to linger. If Winston stays as the starter, the players are all but certain to get questions as speculation grows about how much longer he has in the job.

Winston was signed as the backup and had his contract extended before the season to remain in that role.

While Harbaugh is no rookie when it comes to controlling the narrative, he can only do so much. Agree or disagree all you want, but this might be one of those situations where, if the change is inevitable (and it seems it is), you might as well rip the Band-Aid off now and roll with McCarthy.