JJ McCarthy Gets No Apology From Emmanuel Acho After Giants' Win

3 days ago

3 min read

Updated: 13 hours ago

Published Oct 28, 2026, 8:13 AM ET | By Vincent Rapisardi

Key points

Emmanuel Acho said he "will not apologize" to JJ McCarthy after the Giants beat the Texans 27-21 in overtime, though he added he "will applaud."
Last week, Acho predicted McCarthy would "stink it up" in Houston and lose the starting job "very quickly."
McCarthy went 20 of 28 for 252 yards with no turnovers and a 99.1 passer rating.

JJ McCarthy won his first start for the Giants, and one of his loudest critics is not backing down. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho said he will not apologize for predicting McCarthy would flop in Houston.

Big Blue Film Room shared the reaction on X: "I will not apologize to JJ McCarthy!" The post noted McCarthy "averaged 9 yards per attempt in Sunday's win."

The full line, posted by Speakeasy late Sunday night, had a second half: "I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE TO JJ MCCARTHY!... But I will applaud."

What Emmanuel Acho Predicted for JJ McCarthy

Acho made his call on Speakeasy on Oct. 22, after the Giants named McCarthy the starter. "JJ McCarthy bouta go out there and STINK IT UP! His starting job will be very quickly taken away," he said.

His argument was about preparation. The Saints had planned for Jameis Winston in Week 6, and Acho expected Houston to feast with a full week to scout McCarthy.

We covered that case in Emmanuel Acho Says Giants' JJ McCarthy Will 'Stink It Up' vs Texans.

Per Pro Football Network, Acho said Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter, Calen Bullock, Jalen Pitre and Reed Blankenship would rack up stats.

JJ McCarthy's Start vs. the Prediction

Acho's prediction	What happened	Source
"Stink it up"	20 of 28, 252 yards, 99.1 rating	ESPN
Texans secondary feasts	0 interceptions	ESPN
Job taken away "very quickly"	Won the start, 27-21 in OT	ESPN

Source: ESPN box score.

McCarthy completed his first five passes for 96 yards. The Giants scored an opening-drive touchdown for the first time since Week 1, per Giants.com.

It was not a perfect day. McCarthy did not throw a touchdown pass, and the Giants' four touchdowns all came on the ground. Devin Singletary won it with a 30-yard run in overtime.

We covered the full game in Giants vs Texans Final Score: Singletary's OT Run Wins It, 27-21.

Not Every JJ McCarthy Doubter Held the Line

Former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons went the other way. On CBS Sports HQ after the game, he admitted he had planned to rip John Harbaugh for starting McCarthy a week before the bye.

"Hand up accountability. That's on me. Giants fans, I apologize," Simmons said, according to Pro Football Network.

PFN ranked McCarthy 17th among Week 7 quarterbacks with a QB Impact Score of 72.3, and it wants more passing touchdowns.

What Comes Next for JJ McCarthy and the Giants

The Giants are 4-2-1 and lead the NFC East through their Week 8 bye. They return Nov. 8 at Philadelphia.

That gives McCarthy two weeks in the offense before his second start, the time Simmons had wanted him to get before his first. Our preview of the change is in Giants to Start JJ McCarthy vs Texans After Fourth-Quarter Rally.

Our Take: The Giants Have Themselves a Quarterback

I'll leave the apology question to Acho. My verdict after Sunday is simple: the Giants have themselves a quarterback.

I wanted the Giants to very seriously explore a trade for McCarthy back in September.

McCarthy averaged 9 yards per attempt in Houston, 252 yards on 28 throws, and he was throwing absolute laser missiles out there. That came against the secondary that was supposed to make him look bad, and he didn't turn the ball over once.

The Giants got him from Minnesota for a 2027 fifth-round pick. After one start, I think he was worth a 5th.

He still needs touchdowns through the air, and the bye gives the staff time to build more around him. But he looked like the guy Sunday.

Want more Giants coverage? Catch up on all of our latest articles here on the site, and follow @BigBlueFilmRoom on X for every Giants update as it breaks.

About Big Blue Film Room: Big Blue Film Room is an independent New York Giants news site delivering daily news, injury updates and game recaps. We credit and link to the original reporting behind every story, and we correct errors promptly under our Editorial Standards. Learn more about who we are and how we report on our About page.