Evan Barnes: Giants' J.J. McCarthy on cusp of biggest game of NFL career vs. Eagles. Is he ready for it?
Giants QB J.J. McCarthy throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Texans on Oct. 25, 2026 in Houston, TX. Credit: Getty Images/Kenneth Richmond
J.J. McCarthy’s first start gave the Giants feel-good vibes along with high-level play. His second start could produce better vibes if he repeats what he showed two weeks ago.
It’s not wild to believe Sunday is a critical game despite the Eagles’ dreadful six-game losing streak. If the Giants want to prove they are favorites to win the NFC East, you beat a wounded rival and leave no doubt.
That means the stakes are raised for everyone and especially McCarthy. He’s yet to be in a playoff push in his young career so every game counts to validate the decision to start him at quarterback.
Does that mean Sunday is the biggest game of his NFL career? It feels that way. The Giants can help solidify their first-place division lead with a win in Philadelphia Sunday and another win next Thursday hosting the Commanders.
So Mr. McCarthy? You’re up to prove the honeymoon can last another week. How do you feel?
“This division, these rivalry games, we’re so blessed to be able to have two back-to-back,” he said Wednesday. “But at the end of the day, we’re focusing on Philly and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
His poise wasn’t surprising. McCarthy’s last year at Michigan had pressure every week. The Wolverines went 15-0 as national champions in 2023-24. Why worry about wild fans at Lincoln Financial Field when you dealt with them at Michigan State, Penn State or Ohio State?
By the way, McCarthy’s teams went 6-0 at those three schools in his two seasons as a starting quarterback. It taught him how to handle big game atmospheres just playing five last season against his NFC Central rivals with the Vikings.
“I think the more experience I got in those games made me realize how much it’s about just operating the plays and just executing the plays,” said McCarthy, who’s won his last five starts dating back to last season. “Each play is independent of its own and focus on that one-play-at-a-time mentality.
He needs that Sunday. John Harbaugh praised McCarthy’s ability to limit pre-snap penalties and be effective relaying the calls to the offense. That cool under pressure has to show up at the Eagles where the Giants haven’t won since 2013.
If Giants fans loved McCarthy already, they’ll adore him if he ends the team’s 13-game losing streak in Philadelphia. Tommy DeVito became a brief cult hero for a three-game win streak amidst a losing season in 2023.
McCarthy leading a second straight win for a first-place team? He’ll be Saint J.J. by 4 p.m. Sunday. The patron saint of hope and second chances.
But let’s slow down. Despite the good love from last week, his second half stats weren’t pretty in Houston. The Giants need four quarters of McCarthy being effective, especially if the run game doesn’t have Cam Skattebo.
Skattebo didn’t practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s hamstring issue landed him on injury reserve. So a lot is on McCarthy’s shoulders, perhaps more than was ever asked him with the Vikings or at Michigan. Maybe his experience at raucous college and pro stadiums can help but his play must reflect that comfort. Harbaugh, no stranger to Eagles games as a former special teams coordinator there, wasn’t worried about that for McCarthy.
“That’s not going to be an issue,” Harbaugh said of the atmosphere. “The issue is going to be the Eagles and the issue is going to be us. How we operate, how we play, how we execute. That’s really the thing he’s going to be concerning himself with. The exterior stuff is not going to be a factor.”
It’s a lot easier voicing that after McCarthy’s first start. The Giants have a quarterback to be confident in versus other QB-needy teams. The Eagles will start Joe Milton Sunday after benching Tanner McKee. The Ravens just traded for Jacoby Brissett since they lost two quarterbacks to season-ending injuries last week.
Milton, who hasn’t started an NFL game yet, was 7-for-13 for 73 yards last January with the Cowboys against (guess who?) the Giants. Brissett was benched last Sunday by the Cardinals and watched Gardner Minshew rally them to a win in Dallas.
Clearly, McCarthy was a better option than the two. He needs to make sure that statement stays true. The Giants need a strong effort Sunday to stamp that they’re serious about winning the division and pushing for playoffs.
Can McCarthy rise to that challenge? He better. To validate the Giants were wise trading for him and that team can be a layoff contender on his watch.
It’s the biggest game of his career even if he’s treating it like the game of the moment. But his play, not his poise, will show if he can deliver while being calm in said moment.
“There’s a lot of juice, there's pressure some would say,” McCarthy said. “But just being able to go out there and play football and just operate the way you do every single day in practice is the only thing we're focused on.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
