{"id":214350,"date":"2025-10-10T13:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T13:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/214350\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T13:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T13:22:08","slug":"jaxson-dart-giants-fans-are-starving-for-a-winner-and-he-is-here-to-give-them-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/214350\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaxson Dart: Giants fans are \u2018starving\u2019 for a winner, and he is here to give them one"},"content":{"rendered":"

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. \u2014 Jaxson Dart leads the way he plays. That means the New York Giants rookie quarterback isn\u2019t hiding from the past failures that have hung over the franchise like a dark cloud for the past decade. Instead, Dart is treating that negativity like a defender at the first-down marker. He\u2019s running through it \u2014 headfirst<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dart\u2019s fearless style may be exactly what the Giants need to finally snap out of this prolonged funk. He was electric during \u2014 and after \u2014 Thursday\u2019s stunning 34-17 domination of the Eagles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t be naive to everything. We hear what people say. Definitely lights a fire in us,\u201d Dart said. \u201cI just think there\u2019s, at times, some negativity that\u2019s surrounding here. For us, some of the new guys that are coming here, we just got here, so we don\u2019t feel like we were involved in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dart completed 17-of-25 passes for 195 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He added 10 carries for 60 yards (excluding kneel downs) and a touchdown. While those stats are impressive, they don\u2019t come close to telling the full story of the energy the rookie brought to his first career prime-time game and his first career division matchup.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a guy who can make loose plays, everything doesn\u2019t have to be perfect. That\u2019s a benefit. I\u2019ve had guys like that before,\u201d coach Brian Daboll said in an obvious reference to his time in Buffalo with reigning MVP Josh Allen. \u201cThis guy is a good guy to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daboll has been notoriously tight-lipped in news conferences during his four-year tenure. But he can\u2019t hide his exuberance for Dart. That\u2019s not a surprise since Daboll staked his career on the 22-year-old, benching Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson three games into the season and making sure the world knew it was \u201cmy decision.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Daboll tried to catch himself and slip back into coach-speak a few times after Thursday\u2019s win, making sure to point out that the victory wasn\u2019t about one player and that the whole team played an important role. But he couldn\u2019t help himself, always returning to shower more affection on the quarterback he fell in love with during the pre-draft process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve liked everything about Dart since we got him,\u201d Daboll said.<\/p>\n

Daboll\u2019s reliance on Dart was on full display late in the third quarter when the quarterback got sacked and his head and neck bent awkwardly. Dart immediately brought his hands to the sides of his helmet as he laid on the turf, prompting the Giants\u2019 medical staff to come to his aid.<\/p>\n

After being down for a few minutes, Dart got up and jogged to the medical tent on the sideline for a concussion exam. It was the third time Dart has visited the tent for a concussion check in his young career, and Daboll was impatiently waiting for his quarterback to get back on the field.<\/p>\n

The tent is strictly off-limits to coaches, but Daboll poked his head in to check on Dart before Wilson even took a snap. Moments later, Daboll was berating head team physician Dr. Scott Rodeo on the sideline about the delay in getting Dart back onto the field, which was a wild scene in the concussion-conscious NFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever been on an NFL sideline, there\u2019s a lot of emotions,\u201d Daboll said. \u201cI certainly am an emotional guy. I apologized directly to our team physician. I just wanted (Dart\u2019s) ass out there if he was OK. \u2026 You want your guy out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Giants punted and Dart returned for the next possession, again exasperated by the NFL\u2019s concussion testing protocol.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt so long,\u201d Dart said. \u201cI understand they have protocol and whatnot. I was just trying to get out there fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Giants went three-and-out on Dart\u2019s first possession upon re-entry, and the Eagles then drove deep into New York\u2019s territory. The Giants\u2019 27-17 lead was feeling tenuous until cornerback Cor\u2019Dale Flott stepped in front of a pass from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts at New York\u2019s 9-yard line and returned the interception 68 yards to Philadelphia\u2019s 23. Dart\u2019s rookie backfield partner Cam Skattebo then sealed the win with his third touchdown<\/a> of the game.<\/p>\n

Eagles driving\u2026 AND COR’DALE FLOTT IS GOING THE OTHER WAY.<\/p>\n

PHIvsNYG on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1aXxVqFUZh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt absolutely is (a statement win), because you have to have a lot of respect for that team,\u201d Dart said. \u201cThey\u2019ve just come off winning the Super Bowl. Top team in the league. Quite honestly, nobody really expected us to put up a performance like this. As a locker room, as teammates, we felt confident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teammates have rallied around the youthful enthusiasm of Dart that materialized when he launched himself headfirst into Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell to pick up a first down on a third-and-3 scramble in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just playing fearless right now,\u201d linebacker Brian Burns said. \u201cI respect how he\u2019s playing. Obviously, once he matures in his game, he\u2019s going to take calculated risks. But as of right now, I\u2019m going to let him rock out, and I just let him know we have his back.\u201d<\/p>\n

At some point, Dart will likely find the balance between running like a stuntman and protecting himself. But it doesn\u2019t appear that will happen anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Dart has explained his mentality as a rusher ad nauseam.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just situations where if it\u2019s third down, I\u2019m going to get the first down,\u201d Dart said. \u201cIn my mind when I\u2019m running the ball, I\u2019m trying to get a few yards and put our team in a really good situation. I understand that you got to take care of your body. I definitely try to do my best with that. In situations where things are important, I\u2019m going to do my best to get that done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dart\u2019s legs are what make him so dangerous. The Giants were faced with a third-and-8 at Philadelphia\u2019s 20-yard line on their opening possession. The Eagles\u2019 pass rush got immediate penetration, but Dart stepped up through the pressure. That left him alone with All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun in the open field. Dart blew past Baun with a subtle juke, then raced untouched into the end zone. The Giants have scored touchdowns on the opening possession of all three of Dart\u2019s starts after doing so just four times in the previous 54 games under Daboll.<\/p>\n

JAXSON DART DOES IT HIMSELF.<\/p>\n

PHIvsNYG on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Q3yGPJiZRQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Dart repeatedly used his legs to escape pressure by displaying an uncanny calmness despite having bodies all around him. His touchdown pass<\/a> came on the Giants\u2019 second possession after he stepped up in the pocket, started to escape to a clogged left side before rolling right and firing a bullet to wide receiver Wan\u2019Dale Robinson. Robinson did the rest, breaking a tackle and racing 35 yards for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got toughness, I think he sees the field well, he\u2019s got athleticism, vision, leadership,\u201d Daboll said. \u201cBut it\u2019s three games in, 2-1 as a starting quarterback. But a lot to work on. He\u2019ll be the first to tell you that. He\u2019s a leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making Dart\u2019s performance more impressive was that the Giants were without their top two wide receivers. Malik Nabers is out for the season with a torn ACL, and it\u2019s painful to imagine how much more Dart could accomplish with the game-changing receiver in the lineup. Darius Slayton was sidelined Thursday by a hamstring injury that left Jalin Hyatt, who didn\u2019t have a catch in the first five games, and Lil\u2019Jordan Humphrey, who was elevated from the practice squad on Thursday, as the top perimeter weapons.<\/p>\n

Humphrey stepped up with four catches for 55 yards, and even Hyatt added three catches for 17 yards while drawing a crucial pass interference penalty in the end zone to set up Skattebo\u2019s final score.<\/p>\n

Having that type of supporting cast limited Dart\u2019s production, but he was tremendously efficient. The Giants converted 11-of-16 third downs (Dart, himself, was 11-of-15) and scored touchdowns on all three of their trips inside the red zone.<\/p>\n

With the Giants plucking concepts from Ole Miss\u2019 offense, Dart\u2019s comfort level was obvious. He seemed to have answers for everything the Eagles\u2019 defense threw at him, getting the ball out quickly and accurately all night.<\/p>\n

Daboll capped the opening statement to his postgame news conference by saying, \u201cIt\u2019s good to have a young leader like Dart.\u201d Then he wrapped up his final answer to a question about how much the win meant to the fans by saying, \u201cIt\u2019s good to have this young leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dart said the leadership role comes naturally. And he has fully embraced the tall task of leading the turnaround of this beleaguered franchise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it,\u201d Dart said. \u201cI understand the most important thing for everybody is winning. As competitors, that\u2019s how we feel, too. I feel like this city is starving for that. We are starving for that. We hate losing. It\u2019s the worst feeling in the world. We just try to do our best, regardless of what outside noise is, we try to keep everything internal between us. I have all the confidence in the world in every single player on this team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone\u2019s confidence in Dart will grow with a performance like Thursday night.<\/p>\n