Jaxson Dart provided the spark in his first career start, leading Giants to their 21-18 victory over Chargers. Here's what we saw from the rookie QB.
EAST RUTHERFORD - Jaxson Dart was standing at the same locker where, a week ago, he was fielding questions about the direction the New York Giants were headed.
Unlike last Sunday night into midnight Monday, when Dart felt the responsibility to speak up and defend a team that stumbled to 0-3 for the 10th time in the last 14 seasons, going back to when he was a third-grade sensation on the youth football fields in Utah, this time he
"The Chosen One," teammate Abdul Carter yelled to Dart, a playful yet fitting reference to their mutual affinity for Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in "Star Wars" canon. Shortly thereafter, Giants coach Brian Daboll greeted the 22-year-old Dart one final time before heading out of the stadium with a group of friends and family.
Daboll patted Dart on the chest, pulled him close and with as much emotion as he did in the immediate aftermath, delivered another "great F'ing win" message, although far more subdued as the quarterback and the coach punctuated a much-needed 21-18 victory over the previously-undefeated Chargers.
"We've been really close in these past weeks. It's hard when you feel like you should win," Dart said. "You have plenty of opportunities to win, and there's just plays we just didn't make. I think everybody in the locker room felt that way, too. We know that we have really good players on our team. This is just a big confidence builder for us as a team to have a win like this where it wasn't easy, it wasn't clean, and we had to fight. Just like the other weeks, but this time we finished. I thought our coaches did a really good job. Obviously, Dabs was just excited to get the win."
The good: Poise in the noise, unflappable performance
Dart's greatest quality in the game was the way - again - he navigated the pocket, refusing to bail on plays when scramble lanes opened up. He hit Darius Slayton early on a play when he rolled out to the right, gesturing to Slayton to come back for the ball, and he did for a 17-yard gain.
It takes a lot of self-assurance for a young player to be able to calm things down when the heat picks up, and Dart did that in spades against the Chargers.
"I like his traits," Daboll said. "I like his toughness. I'm glad we got him."
The good: Jaxson Dart was decisive in his reads - and accurate
Dart completed 13-of-20 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown for a 96.0 quarterback rating. Relatively modest production through the air? Sure. But when you consider Dart lost Malik Nabers in the first half - and the game plan was likely built around the talent and explosiveness of No. 1 - the overall performance called for him to be smart with the football and be sure of where he wanted to go with it.
No turnovers for a rookie in that setting against that defense? Just means Dart knew where the ball needed to be delivered and how it needed to get there.
The bad: Jaxson Dart's toughness gets the better of him
Dart wants to make plays down the field, and he has no fear of extending plays. That led to five sacks, four of which were the product of him holding the ball took long for the sake of beating the Chargers downfield. For the second time in as many starts, going back to the preseason finale, Dart was forced to leave the game for a concussion check thanks to a buzzer from the officials' booth up top.
The good: Jaxson Dart's legs - and his chemistry with Cam Skattebo - changed the game
The most stark difference in the Giants' offense with Dart and with Russell Wilson was the former's ability to escape pressure and make things happen on the ground, either by design or on scrambles when plays broke down. He rushed for 54 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, and there's no question his production would have been higher had he not tweaked his left hamstring late in the first half.
Dart and Skattebo, locker neighbors during the week at the team's training facility, just give off vibes of teammates who have played together for a decade, not just five months. Skattebo's toughness was evident throughout, and his willingness to be a lead blocker for Dart sprung the touchdown run.
The final verdict: Jaxson Dart deserved to be a winner - period
Pretty classy and self-aware move by Dart to thank Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston early in his press conference in his opening answer, and the mentions were unprompted. Says a lot for the rookie to acknowledge the two veterans who have played a role in him getting to this point in a moment where he could’ve made it about himself.
He was open about needing to play a cleaner game, and did not wilt under the intense spotlight of the moment. There are better days ahead for Dart - and undoubtedly some worse, too - but in terms of what the Giants desperately needed Sunday, with the football world around them seemingly about to cave in, his performance earned the highest of marks.
Grade: A
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jaxson Dart stats, highlights, grade from Week 4 NY Giants' victory
Category: Football
