Giants' J.J. McCarthy showed 'heart' and insisted on playing through hip injury

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New York Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy returned to the field after leaving with a hip injury and helped secure a gritty win over the Philadelphia Eagles, an effort that left head coach John Harbaugh impressed with both his quarterback and the man who filled in.

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McCarthy was injured on a designed run in which he pulled the ball back inside late. He tried to lower his shoulder but did not get it down enough.

“At the end of the day, I’ve just got to protect myself and do a better job of doing that,” McCarthy told reporters after the game.

McCarthy still re-entered the game, ran for a first down while favoring the hip, and insisted on staying in even when the staff considered turning to Jameis Winston for the final drive. Harbaugh said the decision was McCarthy’s.

“He insisted on it. We weren’t pushing him back out there,” Harbaugh said. “He was able to play, but he insisted on playing. Even at the end we thought about putting Jameis in there for the last drive and he insisted on being out there. It says a lot about him for sure.”

Harbaugh called the performance a clear demonstration of heart and leadership.

“That’s big to fight through that kind of thing, fight through an injury, go back in, take care of it, get back out there,” he said. “Now he’s going to have to fight to get ready to play on Thursday. That’s part of it, too. So pretty impressive.”

While McCarthy was being evaluated, Winston stepped in and provided an immediate spark. Harbaugh pointed to one throw in particular.

“Really, the throw of the game was a deep sideline route to Malachi Fields in that long yard situation after I think we took a sack and he throws a dime right on the sideline,” Harbaugh said. “Malachi was a great route. It’s a great timing route or impossible to cover that route. Just as well executed as you can get for a first down. And that got that drive started.”

McCarthy watched the sequence from the locker room and praised his teammate.

“It’s just a testament to Jameis. He’s a true pro,” McCarthy said. “To be able to step in there and be that spark and lead the team down the field, it was absolutely awesome to watch and just so proud of him.”

McCarthy said the hip is feeling good and credited the training staff for getting him back quickly. With a Thursday night game against Washington ahead, both the quarterback and his coach are focused on the short turnaround.

“I feel good. At the end of the day, it’s a physical game and a lot of guys are banged up, but we’re going to do our best to make sure we turn over as fast as possible and do whatever we can between now and then,” McCarthy said. “They’re going to be hungry, and we’re really excited to go get this one.”

The Giants will evaluate McCarthy’s availability over the next few days while preparing for a rested Washington team that will be looking to bounce back.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' J.J. McCarthy showed 'heart' and insisted on playing through hip injury

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