Giants Shock Texans in OT as Mccarthy Leads Week 7 Win

WHO:

Sportskeeda - Dave Portnoy predicted that Jaxson Dart and J.J. McCarthy could be headed for a quarterback controversy with Giants coach John Harbaugh.

Newsweek - An ESPN analyst praised the Giants’ overtime road win over the Texans as a “Hallmark win.”

Daily Mail Sports - J.J. McCarthy’s wife celebrated the Giants’ win by spiking a football on Instagram.

Heavy NFL - John Harbaugh was the New York Giants’ head coach.

Heavy NFL - J.J. McCarthy played for the Giants and was described as having made his first start for the team.

Pro Football Network - Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was criticized by NFL fans over his evaluation of McCarthy.

Sportskeeda - Giants fans criticized Skip Bayless over his take about the Dallas Cowboys.

NY Post - Paul Schwartz wrote the Giants’ takeaways and report card.

WHAT:

giants.com - The Giants ran the ball on more than 50% of their plays; running backs Cam Skattebo and Devin Singletary gained 42 and 30 yards, respectively, on consecutive runs to finish the overtime drive.

giants.com - Giants running backs combined for 180 yards on 28 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per carry; the team had a 50% rushing success rate.

giants.com - New York gained 157 yards on 19 carries in 22 personnel. Fullback Patrick Ricard played on just over 50% of the team’s snaps, rising to 60% when multiple-tight-end formations were included.

giants.com - The Giants allowed Houston 84 rushing yards on 25 carries, an average of 3.4 yards per carry, and limited the Texans to three conversions on 12 third-down attempts.

giants.com - C.J. Stroud completed 60.7% of his passes for 153 yards. Deonte Banks matched up with Nico Collins on 14 plays; Collins caught one of four targets for four yards on those plays.

giants.com - Micah McFadden recorded a team-high 10 solo tackles, two tackles for loss and one quarterback hit. The Giants’ defense led the NFL in three-and-out percentage at 32.9%.

giants.com - J.J. McCarthy was 7-4 as a starter and had won five consecutive starts.

Sportskeeda - After McCarthy rallied the Giants’ locker room, fans posted, “Jaxson Dart has taken his last snap as a New York Giant.”

Sportskeeda - Portnoy said on “Wake Up Barstool” that “Something’s going to be coming down the pipe” regarding Dart’s future.

Sportskeeda - Harbaugh said he was “learning to be more at peace in those moments” when asked about “little dancing” in the locker room after the win.

Heavy NFL - The Giants had nearly 200 more total yards than the Texans and entered the game as double-digit underdogs.

Sportskeeda - NFL fans mocked Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell with the phrase “Kevin O’Connell lowkey a QB terrorist.”

NY Post - The article said the Giants’ offense stepped up across the team to support J.J. McCarthy in his Week 7 start.

NY Post - The Giants entered their bye week with a 4-2-1 record; their fourth victory matched their win total for the entire 2025 season.

Heavy NFL - The Giants faced injuries during the first two months of the 2026 NFL season.

giants.com - J.J. McCarthy’s 71.4% completion rate in his first Giants start trailed only Bobby Clatterbuck’s 77.3%, recorded in 1954.

giants.com - Odell Beckham Jr. recorded at least 100 receiving yards in four consecutive games twice in his career: in 2014 and in a six-game streak in 2015.

giants.com - Isaiah Likely’s 41 receptions in his first seven games with the Giants put him alongside Brock Bowers and Keith Jackson as the only tight ends in NFL history with more than 40 receptions in their first seven games with a team.

giants.com - Cam Skattebo averaged 7.3 yards per carry on his 17 rushes.

giants.com - Skattebo’s 124 rushing yards were the most by a Giant since Tyrone Tracy Jr. rushed for 145 yards against Pittsburgh.

giants.com - Malik Nabers was the second Giant in franchise history to record at least 100 receiving yards in four consecutive games; Odell Beckham Jr. also did so, including a six-game streak in 2015.

giants.com - Odell Beckham Jr. had 182 receptions in his first 26 games, compared with Malik Nabers’ 175.

giants.com - James Bradberry recorded 11 passes defensed in the first seven games of the 2020 season, the last time a Giant reached at least 10 at that point in a season.

giants.com - The Giants improved to 4-2-1 and earned their first overtime win since 2021.

giants.com - New York extended its winning streak against Houston to six games, the franchise’s first six-game winning streak against an AFC opponent.

giants.com - The Giants scored at least 27 points in four consecutive games, their longest such streak since 2010.

giants.com - J.J. McCarthy completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards, with a 71.4% completion rate and a 99.1 passer rating. His completion rate was second-best for a Giants quarterback making his first start with the team; his passing yardage ranked fifth.

giants.com - Cam Skattebo rushed 17 times for a career-high 124 yards and a touchdown. His 16-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run was the longest rushing score of his career.

giants.com - Jameis Winston, Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary each scored a rushing touchdown. It was the Giants’ first game with four different rushing touchdown scorers since 1950.

giants.com - Malik Nabers caught seven passes for 111 yards, his fourth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards. He reached 175 career receptions, second-most by a Giant through 26 games.

giants.com - Isaiah Likely caught two passes for 12 yards and became the third tight end in NFL history to record more than 40 receptions in his first seven games with a team.

giants.com - Arvell Reese recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss and half a sack; his 54 career tackles made him the only Giant since tackles became official in 1994 to surpass 50 in his first seven games.

giants.com - Deonte Banks recorded two tackles and two passes defensed; his 10 passes defensed through seven games matched a mark last reached by a Giant in 2020.

Newsweek - John Harbaugh said J.J. McCarthy “has scars” from the Vikings trade.

Sportskeeda - NFL fans commented “Blowout incoming” and “Dude has pep in his step” about McCarthy arriving for his first start as the Giants’ quarterback.

NY Post - The addition of McCarthy to the starting lineup could help the Giants resume running the ball.

NY Post - The Giants defeated the Houston Texans 27-21 in overtime.

Heavy NFL - Harbaugh gave his verdict on McCarthy’s performance, describing it as not “perfect.”

Heavy NFL - Harbaugh shared his reaction after the Giants upset the Texans on the road.

Pro Football Network - Fans mocked O’Connell with the phrases “Worst QB Evaluator” and “Need a Referendum on QB Guru.”

Sportskeeda - Giants fans responded to Bayless’s Cowboys take with “Go to sleep loser” and “Take that L.”

Sportskeeda - The article said the win gave the Giants control of the NFC East, while the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles had both struggled.

WHERE:

Heavy NFL - The Giants beat the Texans on the road in Houston.

WHY:

giants.com - John Harbaugh said McCarthy’s experience meant his first Giants start had no procedural penalties, clock issues or formation issues; Harbaugh said, “Failure is not final.”

NY Post - J.J. McCarthy’s first start was described as restoring something the Giants had lost after Jaxson Dart’s injury.

NY Post - John Harbaugh would not call the Giants legitimate before the halfway mark of his first season with the team unless he believed in what he had seen from McCarthy.

NY Post - The Giants’ report described McCarthy’s running capability as having a cautionary caveat.

Heavy NFL - The Giants were road underdogs but won after McCarthy’s first start for the team.

Pro Football Network - Fans questioned O’Connell’s handling and evaluation of McCarthy after the Giants’ consecutive dominant games.

Sportskeeda - The Cowboys’ and Eagles’ struggles were cited alongside the Giants’ gain of control of the NFC East.

HOW:

NY Post - Devin Singletary “tackled” Harbaugh during the Giants’ postgame celebration.

Heavy NFL - McCarthy sent a message to Giants teammates after the Texans win.

NY Post - The Giants’ offense stepped up around McCarthy in the Week 7 win.

NY Post - McCarthy’s first start gave the Giants back what the article described as having been “crushed” by Jaxson Dart’s injury.

Heavy NFL - The Giants won 27-21 in overtime.

Heavy NFL - The Giants’ victory was described as being built on McCarthy’s strong first start for the team.

Sportskeeda - The Texans were characterized as struggling.

The New York Giants beat the Houston Texans 27 to 21 in overtime on the road, improving to 4-2-1 and earning their first overtime victory since 2021. Making his first start for New York, J.J. McCarthy completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards, while Cam Skattebo rushed for a career-high 124 yards and scored a touchdown as the Giants leaned on the run to finish the overtime drive. The victory extended New York’s winning streak against Houston to six games and sent the Giants into their bye week with their fourth win of the season, matching their total for all of 2025.