Jameis Winston benched: Giants make move to J.J. McCarthy during Saints blowout

Winston's second interception of the afternoon landed him on the bench Oct 18, 2026 at 4:13 pm ET • 1 min read Getty Images It could be the beginning of a new era in New York, as the Giants benched quarterback Jameis Winston for J.J. McCarthy in the fourth quarter of their Week 6 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.Winston's second interception of the afternoon set up a Chris Olave touchdown, which extended New Orleans' lead to 34-10. The veteran journeyman completed 14 of 26 passes for 152 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions before McCarthy was inserted into the game.It's called the "Jameis Winston experience" for a reason. Last week in the tie vs. the Washington Commanders, he completed 33 of 54 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Winston became the first Giants quarterback to throw three touchdowns in back-to-back games since Eli Manning in 2016. However, his performance on Sunday opened the door for John Harbaugh to consider his other quarterback. McCarthy got off to a rough start, completing just one of his first three passing attempts for 19 yards before throwing an interception. However, McCarthy bounced back to lead two straight touchdown drives -- which included this touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely. Last month, the Giants traded a fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for McCarthy. The former No. 10 overall pick went 6-4 as the starter for the Vikings in 2025, completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He became the only first-round pick at quarterback since 1970 to finish last in completion percentage and TD-INT ratio in their debut season.