Evan Barnes: Jameis Winston showed he deserves to be Giants' starting QB, so leave J.J. McCarthy on the sideline
The Washington Commanders' Joshua Josephs tackles Giants quarterback Jameis Winston during the second half of an NFL game in Landover, Md., on Sunday. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough
The Giants’ late-game luck nearly washed away in the rain Sunday. But it was saved by poor execution by the Commanders.
The Giants escaped Northwest Stadium with a 27-27 tie. The Commanders inexplicably ran the ball with 12 seconds left, but without a timeout, they couldn’t stop the clock or get organized to spike the ball as time ran out.
The Giants (3-1-1) survived to remain unbeaten over their last three games and are still alone in first place in the NFC East. Jameis Winston also survived another week at quarterback despite J.J. McCarthy making his debut.
Winston had his best game of the season and that should solidify him under center for another week. He finished 33-for-54 for 326 yards and had his first interception-free game this season. His 17-yard touchdown pass to Malik Nabers with 1:48 left helped tie it at 27 in regulation.
But a fumble by Cam Skattebo — his fourth of the season — ended the Giants’ final drive in overtime. The Commanders (1-3-1) took over, yet their poor clock management bought the Giants another week without a loss.
The Giants had plenty of blame to go around for not getting a win. Skattebo’s fumble stopped a potential game-winning drive. Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada, who was 9-for-9 on field goals to start his career, missed three field goals, including a 46-yard attempt in overtime.
Winston shouldered less of the blame despite the offense playing poorly in the first half. He led three consecutive scoring drives to end the second half, the last two rallying the Giants from a 27-13 deficit.
It almost made you forget McCarthy played five non-consecutive snaps to try and spark the offense. The only one good play didn’t count as McCarthy found Nabers on 14-yard catch-and-run that was erased by an illegal shift penalty by the Giants.
The cameos were fine but unnecessary. If McCarthy is ready, he should play only if Winston falters. Until then? Winston was fine and his play showed that.
Nabers wanted the ball more and the Giants obliged with him 20 targets Sunday. He finished with 11 catches for 121 yards. Isaiah Likely had a career-high 11 catches and finished with 94 yards and two touchdowns.
It was a fine end for the offense after struggling through the third quarter. It also came after Jayden Daniels’ return to the Commanders nearly broke the Giants.
Daniels missed the last two games due to injury and his left elbow was in a brace. His legs were fine, though. He ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, his second score a 26-yarder that gave the Commanders a two-TD lead with 11:05 remaining in regulation.
It seemed to put the game away but Winston was undeterred. He led a 75-yard scoring drive capped on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely. Likely had the ball punched out at the goal line but it was ruled he crossed the plane just before he was stripped.
Before Winston’s first scoring drive in the second half, the Giants struggled to move the ball. The issue wasn’t Winston, despite fumbling on a strip sack in the second quarter. It was also the run game being non-existent.
The Giants had just 55 rushing yards on 2.4 yards per carry in regulation. The longest gain was 7 yards until Skattebo escaped for a 19-yard run in overtime. You can’t blame Winston trying to pass in the rain if he had zero help from his running backs.
Skattebo finished with 59 yards but struggled to get going most of the game. His latest fumble, the sixth by a Giants running back, is turning into a problem cost them a shot at the win Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Commanders had no problem running. Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran untouched for a 33-yard touchdown on his first carry. He added a 22-yard gain on the final play of the third quarter.
Daniels added a 38-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He ran away from Arvell Reese and had a clean path to the end zone.
The Giants entered the game having allowed just two runs longer than 20 yards and none longer than 22. So much for that. The Commanders finished with 202 rushing yards.
It’s quietly been an issue all season. But a bigger one Sunday was the Giants’ run defense regressing after the first four games. Blame Daniels being an elite dual-threat quarterback yet the Giants hurt themselves giving up open lanes.
The pass rush had its moments. A season-high five sacks, including two by Dru Phillips and Reese getting the first of his career. Abdul Carter picked up his second sack and did a Spider-Man celebration to honor injured teammate Brian Burns.
Give the Giants credit for staying resilient. While the tie was unsatisfying, it made one thing clear: Winston should remain at quarterback until he plays himself out. Sunday should be the last time the Giants experiment with sliding McCarthy in and out of action.
There’s other worries such as Skattebo’s fumbling and the run defense. Those must be sorted out but Winston did enough to keep his job and silence any speculation for another week.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
