The New York Giants will host the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. It will be their third game with Jameis Winston at quarterback, and questions about the team's offense persist after two underwhelming performances following the season-ending knee injury to Jaxson Dart.
The Giants have scored a total of 18 points in the past two games, all on field goals, and Winston has appeared rusty in the process. He is completing just 51.1 percent of his passes and has a QB rating of 55.5. In short, he's looked every bit like a backup.
The Giants may or may not have addressed that problem this week with the trade for J.J. McCarthy. He is better suited for the Giants' offensive plan, which is predicated on the talents of Dart. McCarthy is seen
as "Dart light" as he has many of the same physical attributes. He is currently getting a crash course in the offense.
While McCarthy is getting up to speed, the Giants are riding with Winston, hoping he can elevate his game. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy isn't as concerned as the media and the fans.
"The first game with the Rams, that's not easy. That's a difficult situation to walk into," said Nagy on Thursday. "So, that one's a little tough to fairly criticize, I think, in my opinion. Then the second game, there was a little bit of weather, or whether we like it or not, that's what's real.
"Our players, our coaches, everyone here believes in Jameis, everybody. There's no doubt. We just got to go out there and we got to do it."
But that doesn't erase the optics. Winston made some plays, but the Giants' offense sputtered. He was largely inaccurate, and the entire operation seemed out of sync. Many of his passes were late or underthrown.
"There's a little bit of the sinker ball with a couple of the low throws that he had over the middle of the field. Jameis will tell you that. I do believe, I think there was a little bit; it's not easy," said Nagy. "In pregame, I was out there watching those guys throw and catch in pregame, and it wasn't easy. It was misting and raining a little bit. But I think Jameis will also be the first to tell you that's not an excuse.
"So mechanically, Jameis knows to keep that wide base to be able to throw through the throw and be able to make a friendlier catch for some of these passes. And the guys know it, and then there's some plays there that, I think there was one that got, it actually got tipped. It looked like a bad pass, and it got tipped just a little bit. So, in the end, no excuse; we all need to be better, and I think that Jameis is ready for this next opportunity."
Translation: The Giants are biding their time with Winston. They didn't sign him to be their starter. He's a backup at this stage of his career. They are going to insert McCarthy into the lineup at the soonest possible moment. He gives them the best chance to succeed.
With Winston under center, the Giants' offense is less dynamic. He is less mobile, and the RPO, a huge element in their playbook, is a non-factor. The Giants need to get that back if they are to be competitive this season.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' Matt Nagy: 'Everyone believes in' Jameis Winston
