Adam Thielen didn’t catch J.J. McCarthy’s fourth-quarter surge live, but he liked what he saw when he got the aftermath.
Speaking Tuesday on “Good Morning Football,” the former Minnesota Vikings receiver said he followed McCarthy’s outing against the New Orleans Saints through highlights and other people’s updates before offering his read on how the quarterback handled New York’s 34-27 loss.
“After the game, the cameras are on him, and all of his teammates are coming over, giving him a big hug and dapping him up," Adam Thielen said.
“That shows me his impact has already been made in the locker room in a short time. He’s a guy that, when you’re around him, you just want to be around him more.”
McCarthy entered after Jameis Winston with the Giants down 34-10 in the fourth quarter and helped fuel a 17-point run to close the gap. In relief, he went 11 of 21 for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while also leading the team with 26 rushing yards. CBS Sports reported that all 243 of those passing yards came in an 11-minute stretch, the most passing yards in 11 minutes in NFL history.
Thielen also said Monday on KFAN that he wants to go back and study the game to see what New York was asking McCarthy to do. He said he’s curious whether the Giants leaned on play-action concepts and quarterback keepers similar to what McCarthy used in college. Thielen added that the trade to New York gave McCarthy a reset, and he hopes the Giants give him another start.
Winston’s own afternoon was uneven before the switch. He finished 14 of 26 for 152 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions after being pulled. A week earlier, against the Washington Commanders, he threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a tie, making him the first Giants quarterback with three touchdown passes in consecutive games since Eli Manning in 2011.
McCarthy’s new path with the Giants began last month, when New York acquired him from Minnesota for a fifth-round pick. The former No. 10 selection had gone 6-4 as the Vikings’ starter in 2025, completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
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