It's still early in J.J. McCarthy's New York Giants career, but the returns so far have been rather promising.

One week after nearly leading the Giants to an incredible fourth-quarter comeback win over the New Orleans Saints, McCarthy was an accurate and decisive catalyst in New York's road overtime win over the Houston Texans. McCarthy was so impressive that he got a game ball and an opportunity to address his Giants with a customary victory speech in the postgame locker room.

Watch the clip below of said speech, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: A Giants team that lost its preseason starting quarterback in Game 2 (Jaxson Dart) clearly fully believes in what McCarthy is capable of. He had the eyes and ears of everyone in the Giants locker room without question.

That means a lot to me and should probably color how people ultimately view these underdog Giants:

Make no mistake, dearest readers. When an NFL team believes in its quarterback, don't discount what it's capable of accomplishing as a collective. The Giants are in first place in the NFC East. At this point, with McCarthy under center, I don't expect them to relinquish that division lead any time soon.