What happened: Per Ed Werder, McCarthy provides the athleticism and movement skills the New York Giants have lacked at the position without Dart. Matt Nagy said via Jordan Raanan that McCarthy's skill set closely resembles Dart's, restoring a substantial portion of the offensive playbook.

Why it matters: The quarterback switch follows weeks of evaluation after Harbaugh first left the door open for a McCarthy start on Oct. 2, days after consulting his brother Jim Harbaugh before acquiring the 2024 first-round pick. Aligning the starter's dual-threat profile with the original offensive scheme spares the coaching staff from overhauling the system midseason.

What to watch: Focus now shifts to how much of the designed movement game New York deploys in McCarthy's first test leading the starting offense.