Did John Harbaugh Give Critics More To Talk About Before New York Giants’ Overtime Victory?

Justin Simmons had his John Harbaugh takedown ready, then J.J. McCarthy© Image via: X/@NFL_DovKleiman

Television analysts rarely get caught holding a finished rant for a game that went the other way. Justin Simmons did. The former All-Pro safety had his case against John Harbaugh polished and ready to go for CBS Sports HQ, built on the belief that starting J.J. McCarthy would sink the New York Giants in Houston. Instead, the Giants beat the Houston Texans 27-21 in overtime on Sunday, and Simmons spent his airtime retracting a take he never even got to deliver. Football serves humble pie every week, but few analysts order it themselves on live television.

Justin Simmons Wanted Jameis Winston To Start One More Game For The New York Giants

Harbaugh named McCarthy the starter after Wednesday's practice, and opinions scattered almost at once. Simmons had no quarrel with McCarthy's ability. His issue was the calendar. With a bye week around the corner, Jameis Winston could have taken one more start while McCarthy soaked up the playbook on a longer runway.

Simmons admitted how sure he felt about it.

"I fully expected to come on show today and say, 'This is a bad call by Harbaugh,'" Simmons said. "I thought Houston was going to win, and I was going to blame him for starting JJ."

He had even rehearsed the wording.

Hey… I've been tough on John Harbaugh… but fair is fair in this game, right? EXCELLENT win by Coach today over the Texans… love the way he is handling JJ McCarthy and loved his usage of Skattebo this afternoon… just gotta call it like it is!

— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) October 26, 2026

"I legit was going to come on air. I already had it prepped: 'Bad move. Their bye week is next week… Give J.J. McCarthy two more weeks to learn the offense,'" the analyst added.

J.J. Mccarthy Stays Steady While Cam Skattebo And Devin Singletary Sink The Houston Texans

McCarthy's first start will not top any highlight reel. He finished with 252 passing yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 99.1 passer rating. Pro Football Network slotted him 17th among Week 7 quarterbacks with a QB Impact Score of 72.3. Still, a 23-year-old on the road avoided the kind of mistake that hands a game away, and that kept the Giants within reach of a win.

The ground game took it from there. In overtime, Cam Skattebo broke free for 42 yards, and Devin Singletary closed the door with a 30-yard touchdown run.

Simmons did not hunt for a way to save face afterward.

"Hand up accountability. That's on me. Giants fans, I apologize."

The Giants will not play again until Week 9, which gives McCarthy time to work on the parts of his game that stayed quiet in Houston. Touchdown passes top that list. Sacks and pressure follow close behind.