When the Houston Texans take on the New York Giants, it will be the first start for quarterback J.J. McCarthy since being traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Giants just a few weeks ago.

The move from Jameis Winston to McCarthy comes after Winston was benched during New York’s game against the New Orleans Saints after throwing an interception which the Saints ultimately turned into a touchdown to take a 34-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

McCarthy’s first drive ended with an interception. But after that, he played incredibly well and helped New York put up 17 unanswered points, giving them the chance to win the game on their final drive, although the comeback fell just short.

As the Texans prepare to take on McCarthy and the Giants' offense, head coach DeMeco Ryans said they are studying the tape from that fourth quarter to see how he changed the pace of the game by taking more shots downfield and being more athletic.

“My first impression of J.J. is watching the New Orleans game, just seeing the change of pace, seeing how he really sparked that offense,” Ryans said. “You just saw a different speed. You saw him making some big plays. He was throwing the ball downfield, really just cutting it loose. You see the athleticism with J.J. When he's in there, they'll design some zone read type plays for him to get out on the edge and run the football.

McCarthy will be the third quarterback to start a game for the Giants after starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart, suffered a season-ending injury in the second week of the season. Jameis Winston got to start four games after that, although they have not won their past two games.

"He gave that offense a spark, gave that team a spark and I think they saw some belief from their entire team when he's able to kind of lead them back and have a chance to win that game there at the end," Ryans said. "I see why they named him the starting quarterback. He’s still a young player. He's still learning, still growing. For us, I always go back to us defensively. It's not so much about him. It's about us just playing our defense the right way.”

Houston, on the other hand, is on a two-game winning streak after starting the year 0-4. The Texans need this win to put pressure on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are on bye and sit at the top of the division with a 4-2 record.

Kickoff is scheduled for Noon.