New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy sent a message to the Giants fans following the team’s Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Despite being the home team, the Giants lost 34-27 to the Saints on Sunday. It was a tough game for New York, who took an early lead only to battle back from being down 24 points to make it close at the end, with a last-minute rally that ultimately fell short on a failed fourth-down play to seal the win for New Orleans.

Despite the tough loss, though, there are plenty of positives to take away from this game for Giants head coach John Harbaugh, including the strong play of McCarthy, who came off the bench in the second half of the game to take over for starting QB Jameis Winston and had a great showing in relief.

Despite the loss, McCarthy performed well, and the fans immediately took a liking to him, which he appreciated.

J.J. McCarthy Praises Giants Fans After Big Win

Speaking to reporters following the game, McCarthy praised the Giants fans for all of their support, showing how close the bond between the city and the player is already.

“I’m just extremely honored to be a part of the New York Football Giants, because this fanbase is unbelievable. The passion, how they show up every single game, home and away, it means the world to wear this blue and to play for them. All love to this city and the jersey, and I’m just extremely grateful for them,” McCarthy said.

J.J. McCarthy Excelled Against New Orleans

Despite coming into the game in relief of a struggling Winston, McCarthy excelled during his first true opportunity to get reps for the Giants.

He was 11-for-23 in completions with 243 passing yards and one touchdown compared to one interception, and he gave the Giants a chance to win after being down big heading into the final quarter of the game, as it looked like New York was going to get blown out.

In the end, it was a loss for New York, which dropped their season record to 3-2-1, but it was still a really good showing by McCarthy, one that should give coach Harbaugh even more confidence to potentially start him going forward.

Although Harbaugh did not commit to giving McCarthy the start in the team’s Week 7 game against the Houston Texans, he certainly needs to give it heavy consideration, given McCarthy’s strong play in this game against the Saints and Winston’s struggles overall behind center for the Giants this season.

Winston is an incredible teammate and someone whom the Giants love having around in the locker room, but he is more but he is much more suitable as a backup at this point in his NFL career.

McCarthy, meanwhile, was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and although it’s been a struggle for him so far during his NFL career, he’s still young enough to turn things around and show that he has what it takes to start games in this league.