John Harbaugh didn’t just give the Giants a win in his first game. He made their old Mike McCarthy flirtation look worse by the day.
Back in January, New York’s coaching search had a very different feel. Multiple names were in the mix, and for a stretch McCarthy looked like the most likely answer. Instead, he ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Harbaugh landed with the Giants.
One week into the new setups, the contrast is already obvious.
On paper, the two coaches are close enough to make the debate easy to understand. They’re among the most seasoned head coaches in the league, with Harbaugh sitting 14th on the all-time wins list and McCarthy 15th. Both also have one Super Bowl ring.
But Week 1 told a different story about what each hire actually means.
McCarthy’s Steelers won 20-13 against the Atlanta Falcons, who had Cooper Rush at quarterback - yes, the same Cooper Rush who spent most of his career backing up Dak Prescott in Dallas. Atlanta’s offense never got much going, but Pittsburgh still didn’t exactly seize control.
T.J. Watt’s pick-six was the kind of play that kept the Steelers from being dragged into real trouble.
That kind of game fits the criticism around McCarthy: safe, familiar, straightforward, and not especially explosive. It can win you games.
It can probably get you to a respectable record. It does not scream ceiling.
Harbaugh’s Giants took a different route in their opener against Dallas. The operation looked organized and steady, which is what you’d expect from a veteran coach. But there was also room for creativity, and that’s the part that stands out.
Jaxson Dart’s explosive runs and creative Isaiah Likely screens showed an offense willing to do more than just stay inside the lines. That matters. It’s the kind of flexibility that would be harder to imagine in a McCarthy-led system, especially for a quarterback like Dart.
So while the Giants didn’t need any extra proof after hiring Harbaugh, Week 1 delivered it anyway. McCarthy supplied the comparison. Harbaugh made the choice look smart.
In Other News...
Giants Just Sent A Worrying Message About Their Secondary
The Giants are clearly shoring up a cornerback room that has been stretched thin by injuries on the outside. Their latest move brought in Nikko Reed from the Chargers practice squad and onto the active 53-man roster, a depth addition that fits the urgency of the moment after the team also added Jaden Robinson to the practice squad.
Reed arrives as an undrafted rookie out of Oregon who already has five games of NFL experience from his time in Los Angeles before a hamstring injury ended his season. For New York, the transaction is less about adding a long-term name and more about keeping the secondary functional while the boundary spots remain in flux, which is never a comforting place to be this deep into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Abdul Carter May Be Giving The Giants Defense Its Missing Piece
Abdul Carter wasted little time making his presence felt in Week 1, and the Giants could hardly have asked for a cleaner opening statement from their second-year edge rusher. In the win over the Cowboys, Carter posted a 90.3 PFF grade, finished with five total pressures, and helped force the kind of disruption that turns a defensive possession into a takeaway. Among edge defenders that week, only two graded higher, and no one on the Giants defense topped him.
For a unit that has spent plenty of time searching for a true difference-maker up front, that kind of impact matters. Carter already showed strong pressure production as a rookie, and with a fully guaranteed four-year, $45.3 million contract behind him, the expectation is that this is the level the Giants need to see consistently. If Week 1 was any indication, the more interesting question is not whether Carter can help this defense, but how quickly he can become the piece that changes its ceiling. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Backfield Battle May Be Tilting Toward Devin Singletary
The Giants backfield competition has started to look less like a true open battle and more like a test of trust. Behind Cam Skattebo, Devin Singletary has quietly made his case by doing the little things coaches tend to notice first, especially in pass protection, where reliability can matter as much as burst. He has also avoided the ball-security issues that can quickly change a pecking order.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. still brings the more explosive skill set, and that keeps him in the conversation, but the margin can shrink fast when mistakes show up in protection or with the ball. John Harbaughs usage in key moments has pointed toward the steadier option, which makes this one feel less about upside and more about which back the staff trusts when the game is on the line. [Read more 🡒]