The beginning of the Jaxson Dart era as the starting quarterback for the New York Giants is, of course, the storyline that will overwhelm all others as the 0-3 New York Giants host the 3-0 Los Angeles
Chargers in Week 4 of the NFL season.
Was this the right move by Giants coach Brian Daboll? Only 43% of voters in our poll think it was. The remaining voters are fairly evenly split between the idea that Jameis Winston should start and the idea that Russell Wilson should have remained in the lineup for now.
Will Dart’s first start go the way that Eli Manning’s did in 2004? That was a 17 of 37, 162-yard, one touchdown, two interception performance in a 14-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Manning followed that with a 6 of 21, 148-yard, two-interception game in a 27-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Or, will Dart’s debut go the way Daniel Jones’ did in 2019? In his first start, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jones went 23 of 36 for 336 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-31 come-from-behind victory. He followed that with a strong 23 of 31, 225-yard, two-touchdown, one-interception game in a 24-3 win over Washington.
Or, will the beginning of the Dart era land somewhere in the middle?
Oh, and a reminder not to put the rookie quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame if his debut is a smash hit. Or, decide he is a bust and that GM Joe Schoen should be smashed for trading up to select him in the draft if his debut is less than stellar.
How the Giants’ careers of Manning and Jones turned out should be all you need to remember to prevent overreacting to the first thing we see from Dart in regular-season action.
Other storylines
Running back changing of the guard
With Tyrone Tracy out with a separated shoulder, the Giants will rely on fourth-round pick Cam Skattebo as RB1. With Dart starting his first game, there is something appropriate about that.
Dart and Skattebo locker next to each other at the Giants’ practice facility. They have often seemed inseparable since the beginning of rookie mini-camp. Dart’s swag and Skattebo’s fire, aggression, and energy bring something new to the Giants.
Beginning Sunday, we start to find out if that duo can help engineer a long-needed offensive turnaround for the Giants.
The Chargers are also now led by a rookie running back. First-round pick Omarion Hampton was already Los Angeles’ No. 1 back, but that is more obvious now with Najee Harris lost for the season to a torn Achilles tendon.
Filling the chest
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has implored his players to “be a damn pirate” and instituted a turnover chest as a fun motivational tool.
The chest is mostly just gathering dust, rather than footballs.
The Giants have created just one takeaway, an interception by Dru Phillips, in three games. Their inability to create turnovers was highlighted Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs when linebacker Bobby Okereke scooped up a backward pass by Patrick Mahomes inside the Chiefs’ 10-yard line, then had Mahomes strip him of the ball.
No matter how Dart plays Sunday or for the remainder of the season, it is the defense that has to lead the Giants if they are going to win games. They need to create turnovers, short fields, and advantageous situations for the offense, and keep teams at or below the 20-point mark if the Giants are going to consistently have a chance to win games.
With the personnel they have, they should be able to do that. So far, they are giving up 27.7 points per game, 24th in the league.
Dominant Dexter?
Dexter Lawrence is considered by many to be the best defensive tackle in football and a top 20 player in the NFL. A Pro Bowler in each of the last three seasons and an All-Pro the last two seasons, Lawrence has yet to play like that guy in 2025.
- From 2022-24, Lawrence had 65 quarterback hits (1.48) per game. He has two in three games this season.
- Lawrence had 21 sacks over those three seasons. He doesn’t have one yet.
- Lawrence had 22 tackles for loss over those three seasons. Again, he doesn’t have one yet.
- Lawrence averaged 3.75 tackles per game the last three years. He has averaged 2.7 so far this season.
Lawrence playing like Lawrence, whenever that begins to happen, will be a huge boost for the defense.
Who’s kicking?
With the Giants having signed veteran placekicker Younghoe Koo to their practice squad this week, we probably already know the answer. Graham Gano pulled a groin muscle just moments before kickoff on Sunday night vs. the Chiefs. He did manage to kick a 25-yard field goal in the second half, but was in obvious pain coming off the field.
After last season’s fiasco in Washington, where Gano was on the injury report with a groin strain, he then pulled a hamstring trying to make a tackle on the opening kickoff. In that instance, the Giants failed to activate practice squad kicker Jude McAtamney as protection.
It is hard to imagine they put themselves at similar risk this time.
