Giants vs. Texans fallout: J.J. McCarthy's debut has Giants atop NFC East at the bye, while Houston looks for answers

A day after the New York Giants beat the Houston Texans 27-21 in overtime, the two teams head into their bye weeks in very different places. The Giants are 4-2-1 and first in the NFC East with a new starting quarterback who looked the part. The Texans are 2-5 and talking about fundamentals.

Here’s what the two locker rooms said after Sunday’s game in Houston, and what it means going forward.

Giants: McCarthy’s first start “exactly the story”

J.J. McCarthy, acquired from the Vikings last month, went 20 of 28 for a career-high 252 yards with no turnovers in his first Giants start. CBS Sports noted he completed five throws of at least 15 yards downfield, and the Houston Chronicle counted six completions of 17 yards or more, two of them for 40-plus.

Malik Nabers was his top target with seven catches for 111 yards. CBS Sports wrote that Nabers is “looking very much like he’s back to pre-ACL tear form.” Malachi Fields added four catches for 83 yards, including three third-down conversions that hurt the Texans.

Coach John Harbaugh framed the win around how his players responded to adversity. “I think that’s exactly the story,” he said, according to CBS Sports. “It tells you who they are.”

On McCarthy, who lost his job in Minnesota before the trade, Harbaugh said: “He has scars. He’s been wounded. He’s been battered. But you heal stronger, and you become better because of it.”

McCarthy called the day “a lot of fun.”

Cam Skattebo’s response to a benching

Cam Skattebo had zero touches the week before, after a costly fumble against Washington. Against Houston he ran 17 times for a career-high 124 yards, and his 42-yard run in overtime, the longest of his career, set up Devin Singletary’s 30-yard walk-off touchdown. CBS Sports said his 65 yards before contact were also a career high, and that he told the team’s postgame show ball security was on his mind.

The Chronicle reported that Skattebo’s total was the most rushing yards Houston had allowed to any team this season. New York’s 188 rushing yards were the second-most the Texans have allowed since the start of 2024.

A milestone for the Giants

The Giants have now won with three different starting quarterbacks this season: Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston and McCarthy. CBS Sports says they’re the first team since the 2016 Patriots to do that in the first seven games. They have managed it since losing Dart in Week 2.

“It’s a reward,” Harbaugh said of the bye-week standing. “Now you’ve got to make something of it. … It means we have an opportunity. We’re gonna be in this thing until the end.”

Texans: “No magical elixir”

Houston coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t hide his frustration. The Texans had 237 total yards and converted 3 of 12 third downs, according to SI.

“It comes down to third down,” Ryans said. “You have to sustain drives and stay on the field on third down. … That’s not winning football.”

Houston was flagged 10 times for 80 yards, according to the Chronicle’s box score (SI listed eight). “The penalties are ridiculous,” Ryans said. “It keeps happening over and over again, so we have to find a way to fix it or get different people in.”

Defensively, the Texans pointed to missed tackles. “We just missed tackles at crucial times,” safety M.J. Stewart said, per the Chronicle. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said the Giants “made the plays that they were supposed to make to win the game, and we didn’t.”

Ryans said he is “not there yet” on major personnel or staff changes, SI reported. “There’s no magical elixir that’s going to drop out of the sky and fix everything,” he said. “We have to own it as coaches and players.”

Tank Dell’s return

One positive for Houston was receiver Tank Dell, who played for the first time in about two years after a serious knee injury and had a 43-yard catch-and-run. Ryans called his return “very electric” and said the team expects to “continue increasing his workload.”

Key Giants vs. Texans stats

Source: Houston Chronicle box score via Yahoo Sports.

What’s next for both teams

Both teams are off next week. The Giants visit the Eagles on Nov. 8, and the Texans visit the Chargers the same day.

FAQ

Earlier coverage: Giants beat Texans 27-21 in overtime as Devin Singletary's 30-yard run caps J.J. McCarthy's first start (Oct 25)