J.J. McCarthy will make his first start at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night, giving Giants fans their first home look at him from the opening whistle. It is a first in the narrow sense that matters most tonight: one start, one stadium, one national primetime game.
For McCarthy, the setting is not entirely new. He has already played at MetLife Stadium twice before, once last December for the Vikings when he ran for a touchdown in a 16-13 win over the Giants, and again over the summer in the Vikings preseason opener, when he completed four passes for 34 yards. He also got on the field for the Giants nearly a month ago, when he relieved Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter of the Saints game.
That is part of why the 23-year-old said, “It feels like I've been here for a while.” He has spent a little over six weeks with the Giants, won two games since arriving and kept repeating that he is trying to stay present and soak up each day. He also said he has not thought much about the milestone until it was raised with him, then added that he cannot thank the Giants organization and the fanbase enough for welcoming him.
The one thing that still hangs over the night is the health question. McCarthy said he dinged his hip against the Eagles and eventually made his way back into the game after the scare. He did not sound rattled by it, but he did not dismiss the emotions around a primetime start either, saying, “You have to,” when asked about using them before the game. He added that to let go of those feelings, you have to accept them first.
That leaves Thursday night with a simple shape: McCarthy is not walking into MetLife Stadium as an unknown, but he is still stepping into a new version of the spotlight there. The White Out theme will add to it. What comes next is the part that will actually matter — whether he turns a familiar venue into another win while the Giants and their fans watch him do it in full view.
