Giants' Jaxson Dart gets bummer in NFC playoff picture as new era dawns brightly, hits road bump

Giants' Jaxson Dart gets bummer in NFC playoff picture as new era dawns brightly, hits road bump originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Well that was a bummer.

The New York Giants' Jaxson Dart era is off to a special start, except for the brutal way this week ended against the Denver Broncos.

The Giants surely imagined it could all look like this eventually. They wouldn't have traded back into the first round to get Dart at No. 25 overall out of Ole Miss if they didn't believe in his potential.

It was never a given it would show up this quickly, though.

The Giants planned to let Russell Wilson take the reins for a while as Dart got to watch and learn from Russ and fellow backup Jameis Winston.

And then, well, three games of Wilson were enough. Dart got the job, and he hasn't looked back.

He's shown off the right arm that rightfully belongs to a guy whose last name is Dart.

He's showed off impressive rushing ability.

He's even showed that when he's out in the open field, he's not trying to avoid tackles. Dart wants to show the defense who's boss by finishing his runs.

Everything about Dart screams franchise quarterback.

Including what should've been his game-winning drive on Sunday against the Broncos.

Dart had thrown a costly interception in the fourth quarter that allowed Denver to come all the way back from down 19-0 to take a four-point lead with a couple minutes left.

On the game's penultimate drive, Dart and the Giants faced a fourth-and-19, but then he delivered a sweet on-the-run pass to Wan'Dale Robinson that got just those 19 yards and not an inch more.

He wasn't done. A crucial pass interference on a deep ball intended to Beaux Collins extended the drive, along with an additional penalty on Broncos head coach Sean Payton for expressing his displeasure.

And from the 1-yard line, Dart ran a QB power left and fully extended for the go-ahead touchdown run.

Except, a missed extra point, the second of the day, spoiled the party.

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Instead of a four-point lead at that point, it was two points. And Bo Nix led the Broncos to a game-winning field goal at the buzzer.

Dart did what he could. He'll continue to grow a positive future in New York.

But on this day, the Giants weren't quite good enough as a whole, and so they fell to 2-5 and lost some possible playoff picture momentum. And so what would've been a scintillating continuation to Dart's story instead was a bit somber.

Jaxson Dart stats in Week 7

Jaxson Dart's final stats vs. the Broncos in Week 7:

• 15-for-33 passing
• 283 passing yards
• 3 passing TDs
• 1 interception
• 5 rushes
• 11 rushing yards
• 1 rushing TD

But sadly, not quite a win.

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