# John Harbaugh defends conservative Giants play-calling for ‘capable’ J.J. McCarthy

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/john-harbaugh-defends-conservative-giants-play-calling-for-capable-j-j-mccarthy/
- Published: 2026-11-15T01:32:44+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T02:21:27+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/14/sports/john-harbaugh-defends-conservative-play-calling-for-j-j-mccarthy/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- McCarthy set a personal passing record in a 24-21 loss.
- The Giants ran on all six plays across two late possessions.
- Harbaugh said conservative calls did not mean he lacked faith in McCarthy.

## Summary

J.J. McCarthy threw for a career-high 293 yards in the Giants’ 24-21 defeat by Washington, but their late-game calls relied entirely on running plays while they held a four-point lead. Head coach John Harbaugh said the approach did not reflect a lack of confidence in McCarthy, whom he believes has shown he can win games; the choices have renewed questions about the rookie’s development and the team’s trust in him.

After Washington’s defence gave the Giants two chances to protect their lead, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy called six runs across six plays, and both possessions ended in punts. A quarterback sneak by Jameis Winston failed on third-and-1, while McCarthy lost two yards on a third-and-3 sweep; when the Giants later needed 20 yards in 38 seconds to set up a 50-yard tying kick, McCarthy threw two deep passes against heavy pressure, with the second intercepted. Receiver Malik Nabers said the team should have taken safer options, while tight end Isaiah Likely had been open on short routes.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.