The Saints beat the Giants 34-27 on October 18, 2026, leading 34-10 with seven minutes left before John Harbaugh benched Jameis Winston after two interceptions. Winston played with two broken bones in his offhand. J.J. McCarthy finished 11 for 21 for 269 yards, a touchdown and an interception in relief, with 243 of those yards in the last 12 minutes, the second most in a game since 2000 behind Drew Brees' 249. He also tried to throw about four interceptions in the fourth quarter. The discussion is whether one relief appearance makes McCarthy the starter in New York or fool's gold after three years in Minnesota.