After two weeks of mixed offensive performances and disappointing results, John Harbaugh and the New York Giants are switching things up at quarterback, with J.J. McCarthy taking over for Jameis Winston ahead of a pivotal matchup with the Houston Texans.

The Giants are hoping McCarthy’s presence will spark an offense that lost some of its luster when Jaxson Dart went down and became too one-dimensional in its previous two games against the Washington Commanders and New Orleans Saints, behind Winston’s inconsistent decision-making and an unestablished running game.

That said, New York will need more than its new starter’s efforts to leave Houston with a huge win. Here are the three key matchups the Giants must dominate to stun the Texans and improve to 4-2-1 before their bye week.

Will Anderson Jr. vs. Andrew Thomas/Jermaine Eluemunor

The Giants are constantly reminded of just how important their two starting offensive tackles, Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor, are to the offense functioning at its highest potential.

For the first time this season, Big Blue faced the Saints’ defense in Week 6 without its stalwart bookends playing every snap. Eluemunor missed the game with a calf injury he sustained against Washington. 

Thomas opened on the left side despite a lingering groin ailment, then left in the fourth quarter after the NFL’s medical spotter pulled him for a concussion evaluation.

Without either veteran on the field, the Giants offense faced much more pressure from the New Orleans front, which tallied nine total pressures in the 34-27 loss. Those numbers might pale in comparison to what the Texans’ pass rush could deliver with its dynamic duo of Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

Per the team’s injury report following Friday’s practice, Thomas had no game status and appears to be a full go despite his ongoing groin injury.

Eluemunor, who leads all offensive tackles with a 96.7% pass-block win rate (min. 150 snaps), was listed as questionable, though Harbaugh seemed optimistic he could suit up and play.

The Texans typically flip Anderson, who leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks and holds a 14.1% win rate in his 208 pass-rushing snaps this season, to either side of the formation.

Anderson is a super-talented bull rusher with the power to drive opposing offensive linemen backward into the quarterback and blow up the play before receivers can progress through their routes.

The 6-foot-3, 243-pound defensive end has torn up his immediate matchups in recent weeks, collecting two or more sacks three times and five or more pressures in four of the Texans’ last five games. He can also crash interior gaps quickly, leading to 21 run stops in six starts.

That could pose a problem for either tackle (if they do indeed play) and for anyone who can’t anchor against Anderson’s bull rush.

The Giants are hoping to give McCarthy enough time to operate in the pocket and run extended RPO plays with his dual-threat skill set. If Thomas can’t perform up to par against Anderson, they could have to resort to quick throws instead of betting on a few chunk plays with the quarterback’s impressive arm.

Nico Collins vs. Deonte Banks

One of the most enjoyable storylines from the Giants’ first six games has been the obvious turnaround in cornerback Deonte Banks’ performance since Dennard Wilson took over the defense.

Banks, a lame-duck starter since the Giants declined his fifth-year rookie option in May, has largely quieted the fan base’s complaints about his coverage with a much-improved 50% opponent catch rate allowed. He is tied with Greg Newsome II for the most pass deflections in the secondary (4).

Some old shades of Banks’ miscues have reared their ugly heads in recent weeks. He has drawn a penalty in three straight games and has allowed completions on 60% or more of targets against him since Week 4.

That includes last Sunday against Chris Olave and the Saints, when the former first-round pick out of Maryland allowed three catches on five targets for 36 yards, with a long of 18 yards, and fell asleep, letting Olave cash in one grab for a touchdown in the Saints’ win.

One week later, Banks’ newest assignment will be a much tougher one as he braces to slow down Texans wide receiver Nico Collins, who has wreaked havoc on opposing secondaries. Houston’s defense, meanwhile, is banged up.

Collins has been one of the most productive pass-catchers this season, averaging a team-high 80.8 yards per contest with a 78.6% catch rate, third-best among receivers with at least 25 targets.

The 6-foot-4, 222-pound Collins hasn’t been much of a deep-threat weapon for Houston’s offense, but he’s been efficient against press coverage, a staple of Wilson’s system. He has hauled in 83.3% of his targets against man coverage, including a perfect 2-for-2 on contested catches.

Banks has shown some strong flashes as an aggressive ballhawk and has helped the Giants flip the endings of a couple of games by getting his hands in front of the pass.

He’ll need to do a lot better against a craftier receiver like Collins, who might try to counteract the peskier coverage by drawing costly penalties against Banks.

That is the last thing his team needs when facing a Texans offense that ranks 15th in third-down conversions and will look to pile on points to pressure McCarthy and the Giants offense.

If Banks can shut Collins down, Houston can’t rely on its ground game to carry the load, as it sits in the bottom third of the league in both attempts and yards.

Malik Nabers vs. Derek Stingley Jr.

Giants receiver Malik Nabers promised to get open for his new starting quarterback against the Texans, but that might not be as easy if he has to spar with Derek Stingley Jr.

Nabers has found his groove after a long, grueling ACL rehab that began in Week 5 of last season, and he showed flashes of the dominant pass catcher he can be with three straight 100-plus-yard receiving outings.

Since Week 5, the 23-year-old Nabers has racked up 23 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown, despite Winston's errant throws.

The Giants star really exploded once McCarthy took over in the fourth quarter against the Saints, posting a season-high 12 catches for 165 yards and his fourth game with at least one contested catch.

Given the Giants’ unimpressive receiving depth and sputtering run game, Nabers will likely need to be a major factor in moving the ball through the air and attacking the Texans’ defense, which wants to stunt his confidence with its relentless pass rush.

Nabers’ speed and hands could be a huge asset if the Giants need to prioritize short throws and low crossing routes to counteract the blitz. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Texans call upon Stingley to be their own aggressive cornerback who frustrates the opponent’s top target.

Since 2024, Stingley has been one of the NFL’s stingiest perimeter defenders, allowing an average 52% completion rate in that span.

He excels at getting his hands on the football and cutting off direct throws that could become forced turnovers, leading to interceptions and 23 pass deflections. As bold as McCarthy can be with his decisive throws, he’ll need to be extra careful about ball placement to avoid Stingley bruising his stat sheet with turnovers.

Stingley will also make it tough for Nabers or any other receiver to gain extra yards after the catch, given his strong run-stopping play and fewer than 10 missed tackles in four of his first five seasons.

The Texans could even call on him as a pressure guy in select packages or have him crash the line of scrimmage to stop the run game they’re hoping to revive this week.

All that said, most of the Giants’ passing production has come through the heroics of Nabers and Isaiah Likely. McCarthy will look for his guys, and they’re vowing to be reliable.

Nabers’ reliability will depend on finding ways to beat Stingley off the snap and create separation that pushes the ball toward the end zone, where they’ll need to score to keep up with Houston’s fiery offense.