John Harbaugh says a win in Houston would put the 3-2-1 Giants two games over .500 and in charge of the NFC East going into the bye

John Harbaugh has framed Sunday’s trip to Houston as the biggest game yet of his first season with the New York Giants: win it, and the NFC East leaders go into their bye at 4-2-1 with a two-game cushion over .500 and the division largely in their own hands.

Harbaugh laid out the stakes in his weekly sit-down, released on Friday. A victory would make the week off much more enjoyable, he said, and it would set the Giants up for two division games right after the break, starting at Philadelphia on November 8. He described that as “a chance to take total control of the division,” before adding that none of the bigger picture matters until the Texans are dealt with.

1-on-1 with Coach Harbaugh ⤵️

— New York Giants (@Giants) October 23, 2026

The quarterback switch had nothing to do with the bye

This is J.J. McCarthy’s first start since Harbaugh named him the starter on Wednesday, replacing Jameis Winston after the 34-27 home loss to New Orleans. In that game the Giants outgained the Saints 461 yards to 319 but turned the ball over four times, threw three interceptions and were sacked five times. McCarthy came on late and led a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely, as the Giants closed a 34-10 deficit to seven.

Asked whether a coach is better off making a change just before a bye, Harbaugh said the timing never entered his mind. His only questions were what gave the team the best chance in the next game and whether McCarthy was ready. He was asked about Winston in a different context and said the veteran would make a great coach, naming safety Jevón Holland and Likely as other players with a coach’s mind.

There is a personal thread to the week as well. Harbaugh was in Houston in January 2024 to watch his brother Jim’s Michigan team, with McCarthy at quarterback, win the national championship. He recalled a flight that had to wait for a gap between two storms to land in time for the game.

What Harbaugh sees in the Texans

Harbaugh, who faced DeMeco Ryans as a player and as a head coach, said the best compliment he could give is that Ryans’ defenses play the way he did. He explained his earlier remark that Houston plays ahead of the play with a simple example: against a curl-flat combination, a Texans defender is usually already sitting on the curl and another is already on top of the flat route, rather than chasing either one.

That matters for a Giants offense whose ground game has stalled. New York ran 20 times for 84 yards against the Saints. Harbaugh, whose Baltimore teams ran the ball more than anyone in the league over his 18 seasons there, said the Giants will definitely get there, but warned that an offense left with only the drop-back pass has to be extraordinary at it. “It’s just hard to be good enough one-dimensionally,” he said.

Coach Harbaugh on the team’s goals moving forward pic.twitter.com/u6SS2HmGU7

— New York Giants (@Giants) October 21, 2026

Defensive tackle DJ Reader, guard Bryan Hudson and linebacker Malik Harrison will be the Giants’ captains on Sunday. The Texans get receiver Tank Dell back but will be without four players, as detailed on the injury report.

What comes next

The Giants play the Houston Texans on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 p.m. EDT; follow it in the Giants-Texans Game Center. After the bye, New York visits the Eagles on Sunday, November 8, at 1:00 p.m. EST.