Giants' JJ McCarthy Ranks 2nd in Big-Time Throw Rate in Week 7

3 days ago

3 min read

Updated: 13 hours ago

Published Oct 28, 2026, 8:17 AM ET | By Vincent Rapisardi

Key points

JJ McCarthy posted a 10.3% big-time throw rate in the Giants' 27-21 overtime win at Houston.
That was the second-highest mark among Week 7 quarterbacks, behind only Joe Burrow.
McCarthy went 20 of 28 for 252 yards with no interceptions and a 99.1 passer rating.

JJ McCarthy's first start for the Giants already looked good in the box score. One of PFF's signature stats says it was better than that.

Big Blue Film Room shared the number on X on Monday. McCarthy "had a big-time throw rate of 10.3% on Sunday," second only to Joe Burrow among Week 7 quarterbacks.

It came on the road, with no interceptions, and the Giants left Houston at 4-2-1.

What a Big-Time Throw Means for JJ McCarthy

PFF grades every pass on a scale from -2.0 to +2.0. A zero is the throw a competent starter is expected to make.

A big-time throw is any pass graded +1.0 or better. PFF describes it as a ball thrown "deeper down the field, into a tighter window," with the placement and timing to beat the coverage. It is graded on the throw, not the result.

That matters for McCarthy, who did not throw a touchdown pass Sunday. All four Giants touchdowns came on the ground, but his best throws still showed up in PFF's numbers.

For scale, PFF says big-time throws made up roughly 4.1% of dropbacks across the 2025 sample. McCarthy more than doubled that in Houston. If the grading system is new to you, start with How PFF Grades Work: A Guide to Giants PFF Grades and Rankings.

JJ McCarthy's Week 7 by the Numbers

Stat	Week 7	Source
Big-time throw rate	10.3% (2nd)	PFF, via BBFR
Passing	20 of 28, 252 yds	ESPN
Yards per attempt	9.0	ESPN
CPOE	+9.2% (2nd)	Jordan Raanan
Tight-window throws	4 of 4	Jordan Raanan
Air yards per attempt	9.9 (2nd)	Jordan Raanan
Pressure rate faced	46.7% (6th)	Jordan Raanan

Sources: ESPN box score and Jordan Raanan on X.

McCarthy also averaged 9.9 air yards per attempt, second in Week 7, according to Jordan Raanan on X, and he did it while facing pressure on almost half his dropbacks.

His 4-of-4 day on tight-window throws, tied for the league lead, is exactly what the big-time throw rate rewards.

The full game story is in Giants vs Texans Final Score: Singletary's OT Run Wins It, 27-21.

One of his loudest critics still isn't backing off, as covered in JJ McCarthy Gets No Apology From Emmanuel Acho After Giants' Win.

The JJ McCarthy Pattern Is Not New

The big-time throws have always been there. In 2025 with Minnesota, McCarthy's 7.3% big-time throw rate trailed only one quarterback, according to DAZN, citing PFF.

The problem was everything in between. PFF charted only 51.7% of his throws as accurate, 42nd of 43 qualifying quarterbacks, per DAZN. The Vikings moved on and sent him to the Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

His Week 6 relief outing is in JJ McCarthy Led NFL QBs in Yards Per Attempt in Giants Relief Role. Every Giant's season grade is tracked in our Giants PFF Grades 2026 page.

The Giants are on their Week 8 bye and return Nov. 8 at Philadelphia.

Our Take: The Giants Have Themselves a Quarterback

I said it Sunday night and I'll say it again: the Giants have themselves a quarterback.

I honestly don't think I've ever seen a quarterback throw as hard as JJ McCarthy. A 10.3% big-time throw rate is the numbers catching up to what you could see on every deep ball and every tight window in Houston.

There were people telling me McCarthy had no upside and that it wasn't worth a pick to acquire him. Second in the league behind Joe Burrow in Week 7 is not what no upside looks like.

That meme about McCarthy destroyed his reputation in a completely unfair way. Everyone ignored how he played down the stretch last season, and he was good.

The accuracy questions from Minnesota are fair. But the rare part of playing quarterback, making throws most guys can't, is already there. The Giants can coach the rest.

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