Sometimes in the world of sports, the impact of certain moments can be bigger than just what's happening on the field. For former Ole Miss and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, that appeared to be the case as he hosted ESPN's ManningCast for the Monday Night Football matchup between his old team and quarterback Jaxson Dart and the Los Angeles Rams.
As Peyton and Eli Manning watched the first quarter as the Giants attempted to move the ball down the field, their usual back-and-forth banter quickly fell silent for Eli when he saw another former Ole Miss-turned-Giants quarterback on the ground, holding his knee.
Aside from appearing to mutter one word and cringe while watching the replay, Eli sat in utter disbelief for roughly 30 seconds watching the replay of
the hit that took Dart out of the game. Eventually, Manning mentioned that Dart appeared to have been hit "high [and] low," but you could sense his concern.
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning react to Giants QB Jaxson Dart suffering an apparent knee injury vs. the Rams. pic.twitter.com/IuFw18JnWh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 22, 2026
Manning's Ole Miss and Giants roots unquestionably still run deep, and if there were any question about that, watching his reaction to a quarterback who took a similar path to the NFL that he did made it even more apparent.
It's a tough clip to watch, but here's to hoping Dart can return to action in the rumored 2-4 week timeline, as he did thankfully avoid a serious injury that could have sidelined him for longer. Regardless, the Giants and head coach John Harbaugh now need to decide how to approach the coming weeks at quarterback, as Jameis Winston struggled, completing just 11-of-27 passes for 111 yards and one interception after stepping in for Dart.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Eli Manning’s silent reaction to Jaxson Dart’s injury spoke volumes
