Giants' QB and RB situations left unsettled after home loss to Saints — SkimNews
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- J.J. McCarthy entered with the Giants trailing 34-10 and under 12 minutes remaining, going 11-of-21 for 243 yards and a touchdown while leading three scoring drives, but his fourth-down pass to triple-covered Isaiah Likely in the final seconds fell incomplete; per ESPN Research, McCarthy's 243 yards were the second-most in a fourth quarter by a non-starting QB in the past 25 seasons.
- Jameis Winston, who took over after Jaxson Dart's season-ending left knee injury in Week 2, finished 14-of-26 for 152 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions and was pulled for his first loss in four starts.
- Cam Skattebo, who led the team with 81 rushes for 294 yards through the first five weeks, recorded zero carries and played just six snaps after an overtime fumble against Washington — his fourth fumble of the season and fifth in 13 career games; Skattebo said, "I got punished for what I did."
- Harbaugh refused to name a starter "10 minutes after the game" but praised Winston, saying "I love the way he competes," while acknowledging he doesn't like splitting snaps among four backs — Najee Harris, Devin Singletary, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Skattebo combined for 14 carries and just 34 yards.
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. was the lone bright spot in the backfield, rushing 6 times for 18 yards with a rushing and receiving touchdown.
- Despite the loss, the Giants sit at 3-2-1 and in first place in the NFC East heading into next week's game at Houston.
Why it matters: At 3-2-1 and atop the NFC East despite a ground game that produced just 34 yards on 14 carries, the Giants face a real call on whether McCarthy's late-game spark or Winston's veteran stability is their best path forward, while Harbaugh's own words ("one of those guys needs to step up and be the back") make the backfield shuffle a decision he cannot postpone much longer.
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