The New York Giants entered Houston as heavy underdogs on Sunday afternoon and came away with a surprising 27-21 overtime win over the Texans.
The Giants were 10.5-point underdogs all week because of a rash of key injuries and their recent sloppy play. The Texans were on a two-game winning streak and looked like they were righting the ship after starting the season with four straight losses.
The result wasn't what the general public expected. Even Giants fans were shocked.
Here are four things we learned from the upset win in Houston.
Wow. Just, wow.
If someone told you that a quarterback with blond, flowing locks would lead the Giants into their Week 8 bye in first place, you probably would have believed them. But they would have been referring to Jaxson Dart,
not J.J. McCarthy.
This wild season has already taken a bunch of turns, but no one saw this coming. McCarthy, a former top-10 draft pick who was ridden out of Minnesota on a rail, has dramatically rescued the Giants' season. The Vikings practically gifted him to the Giants for a fifth-round pick.
So far, we've seen few weaknesses in McCarthy's game. He has great field sense and confidence, is extremely mobile, has a rocket arm, and appears to be an accurate thrower. He also knows how to win. There's not much else to look for in a quarterback.
A total team win
Head coach John Harbaugh preaches complementary football, and on Sunday, he got it. His Giants played well in all three phases of the game, with just about everyone contributing.
On offense, six different players ran with the ball, and eight more had catches. Even backup quarterback Jameis Winston got into the act with four "tush-push" attempts -- three for first downs and one for a touchdown.
The defense faced a hot quarterback in C.J. Stroud and a stacked Houston arsenal of receivers, but held the Texans to 237 total yards and 15 first downs, and allowed them to convert on only three of their 12 third-down attempts.
Special teams, aside from the two missed field goals, were strong in the field-position battle. The Texans had 10 drives. They started their drives on average from their own 29-yard line.
They are deeper than you think
Injuries have decimated the Giants, but somehow they are surviving. They lost Dart, linebacker Brian Burns, two defensive ends (Roy Robertson-Harris and Chauncey Golston), three returners/wideouts (Calvin Austin III, Braxton Berrios and Gunner Olszewski) and four cornerbacks for the season.
Last week, they learned inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds would be out for the season with a shoulder injury. A killer loss.
Not to this team, though. In stepped Micah McFadden, who recorded 10 tackles, two for losses, and had a QB hit. The Giants also played without star safety Jevon Holland, cornerback Greg Newsome II and tight end Theo Johnson.
Holland's place was assumed by Jason Pinnock and Ar'Darius Washington, while Paulson Adebo returned from injured reserve (IR) to spell Newsome. Thomas Fidone II filled in for Johnson and caught a key 29-yard pass.
Harbaugh, the master motivator
Harbaugh is known for instilling discipline in his teams. He's not brash or loud. He has a more direct, quieter way of dealing with players. He'll coach you and show confidence, but if you don't do your job, you lose it.
On Sunday, all three of his running backs -- Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary -- knew they were playing for their Giant careers. Each had experienced some sort of demotion this season, and all had chips on their shoulders this week.
The result? The Giants rushed for 188 yards on 34 attempts (5.5 yards per carry) and scored four touchdowns. All three running backs hit paydirt. The fourth was scored by Winston, another player who has experienced a demotion.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: What we learned from New York Giants' 27-21 win over Houston Texans
