J.J. McCarthy’s first real crack at meaningful work for the New York Giants had all the ingredients to stir up old Vikings anxiety: a huge deficit, a late charge, and one more reminder of what might have been.
McCarthy entered Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints after the Giants had fallen behind by 24 points with less than 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and New York pulled Jameis Winstion in favor of the former Minnesota quarterback. The beginning was rough. On his fourth pass attempt, McCarthy was intercepted by New Orleans cornerback Martin Emerson.
He settled in quickly after that.
On the Giants’ next possession, McCarthy helped steer a six-play, 45-yard drive that ended with a five-yard rushing touchdown from Tyron Tracy. New York then went for two and converted, with McCarthy finding Giants tight end Isaiah Likely on the right side of the end zone.
After the defense forced a 3-and-out, McCarthy was back out there again, and this time he delivered his first touchdown pass of the 2026 season.
The comeback push kept moving from there. New York trimmed the gap to seven and got one final shot to tie or win it late in the fourth quarter. McCarthy drove the offense all the way to the Saints’ 14-yard line, but with 12 seconds left, his 4th-and-1 throw into the back of the end zone fell incomplete, ending the rally and sealing the win for New Orleans.
Even without the result, McCarthy’s showing was enough to keep the Vikings conversation alive.
He was on the field for only about 75 percent of the fourth quarter, but he still finished with 243 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, 52.4 percent completions, and 26 rushing yards. With Minnesota on a bye, plenty of Vikings fans were watching closely, and the reaction online came fast.
“I just wanted to see another game or two before calling him a bust, and a bunch of people deemed that to be an idiotic stance 🤷🏼♂️”
- Phil Mackey 🎙 (@PhilMackey) October 18, 2026
“If this is how he plays for the rest of the year, this team legit needs to win the SB or Teasley and KOC can both go. https://t.co/hoM3oznF0v”
- 𝙆𝙖𝙨𝙚 (@verysadvikings) October 18, 2026
“J.J. McCarthy just engineered two TD drives in under two minutes, with the second one a 24-yard TD pass. Why can't the Vikings find a QB like McCarthy?”
- Bob “The BS Show” Sansevere (@bobsansevere) October 18, 2026
It’s still too soon to say the Vikings made the wrong call when they traded McCarthy to the Giants earlier this season. But after what he did against New Orleans, that argument is going to get louder.
And if the Giants decide McCarthy earned the starting job over Winstion for their Week 7 matchup with the Houston Texans, Vikings fans will almost certainly be tuned in to see what comes next.
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