Win or lose, Jaxson Dart is validating his existence and the Giants’ future one game at a time

EAST RUTHERFORD – Vic Fangio will be the first NFL defensive coordinator to face Jaxson Dart twice in his career, so his comments about the New York Giants’ rookie quarterback could be a smokescreen.

But if you’re the Giants, just days after suffering one of the worst losses in franchise history, you can only hope Fangio’s remarks about Dart are accurate.

A reporter asked the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, a 39-year coaching veteran and one of the most regarded of his generation, what Philadelphia needs to do better against Dart and the Giants this Sunday, just 12 days after the reigning Super Bowl winners were defeated 34-17.

“One lesson learnt [after facing Dart in their first meeting] is that the teams that need quarterbacks that bypassed him – they’re going to regret that,” Fangio told reporters Tuesday in Philadelphia. “Obviously, very athletic, an elite scrambler, and I believe their coaches have done an excellent job with him.” They built the offence around him. He throws the ball well, both intermediate and deep, and he’s a good player.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) talks with players after winning the Thursday Night Football game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Oct. 9, 2025.

Dart gave a moment that Giants fans, and probably the entire NFL, will remember as his arrival. You know, the game we’ll remember years later, like Eli Manning’s audible to a Tiki Barber run for his first victory over the Cowboys in the 2004 finale, and say, “That’s when I knew Dart was one of those guys.”

Don’t let Sunday’s Mile High Meltdown keep it concealed indefinitely.

There’s little doubt that, in the aftermath of the Giants’ historic collapse on the way to a sad 33-32 loss to the Broncos, it’s easy to ignore how Dart demonstrated his worth.

The Giants (2-5) can’t pretend what occurred in the fourth quarter didn’t happen; it did, and Dart’s interception with 4:47 left contributed to Denver’s astonishing comeback from 26-8 down to a 30-26 lead and eventual victory as time expired.

What happened in the final 1:51 of the game, with Dart stepping into the spotlight and taking on the league’s best defence, was unquestionably spectacular. He demonstrated resilience and moxie, which the Giants had admired since selecting him with the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

On October 9, 2025, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) talks with players after winning the Thursday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Dart and the Giants took control of the ball at their own 35-yard line after falling behind for the first time. Expecting the 22-year-old rookie to be overwhelmed not just by Denver’s dominating pass rush, but also by the boisterous crowd that had unexpectedly rallied behind the home team.

He was fired. I took a couple deep shots, with a false start in between, and narrowly missed them all.

Then came the game-changing play: a fourth-and-19 ball to Wan’Dale Robinson near midfield while taking a jarring hit late from former Jets defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers – 19 yards on the completion plus an additional 15 yards for roughing the passer.

The Giants still had 40 yards to go when Dart shot down the right sideline to Beaux Collins, and the pass allowed Collins to make a play on the ball. As he did so, Collins was penalised for pass interference.

Dart scored from one yard out with 37 seconds remaining, reaching the ball across the goal line with acute understanding of the situation. The Giants had 31 seconds to cement Dart’s first NFL fourth-quarter comeback drive, but as the game progressed, history was not kind to Big Blue, resulting in another memorable collapse they can’t undo.

Dart may not have earned the Giants the victory they deserved, as he did against the Chargers and Eagles previously, but he found a way to beat the Broncos at the end of a week in which some opposition players talked more about the chain from his younger sister that he wears for good luck than his talent.

“I have to give him credit; he’s a lot better than we all thought he was,” Broncos great rusher Nik Bonitto told Kay Adams of “Up and Adams Show” when asked about his experience playing against Dart. “When we played against him, he was obviously a really good player coming into the game, but I feel like his feel for the game, his ability to manuever the pocket and make plays on the run – we even had a plan all week to be able to have eyes on him and rush him the right way, and he was still able to go around and make plays. So I was quite impressed with him, and I know he will be a great player in the future. Man, he’s definitely going to be someone we have to keep an eye on in the league.”

Afterward, Dart spoke for a sad franchise, attempting to cope with the Giants’ latest unfathomable defeat. He stood at the podium inside the interview room of Empower Field at Mile High, choosing his words as carefully as he could while riding a wave of astonishment.

“I never thought we’d lose this game,” Dart replied, barely above a whisper. With his touchdown dive, he threw for career highs in yards (283) and touchdown passes (3), giving him seven touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns in four games.

He’s doing it without star Malik Nabers, who lost his first start after two quarters. Darius Slayton, the co-captain, was unable to play due to a hamstring injury. Robinson has risen in the last two games, but the remainder of the wide receiving corps consists of Jalin Hyatt, who has yet to reach his full potential as a pro; Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, a veteran call-up from the practice squad; and Collins, an undrafted rookie with one career catch for seven yards.

Inside the losing locker room, emotions were running high.

The Giants were kicked in the teeth once more.

“A lot of mental toughness and ability to execute under pressure,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Monday. “Things to learn from, but tough environment, he played his butt off.”

However, with each game, there is a good chance that Dart will continue to evolve and improve.

With that, the Giants should embrace the fact that they have not won at Lincoln Financial Field since Tom Coughlin was the head coach in 2013.

Allow Dart’s words from his post-game press conference to resonate. It’s the perfect window into his competitive football soul, regardless of how many games he’s played.

I never believed we’d lose.

With Jaxson Dart at quarterback, the Giants might have reason to believe that statement every time they take the field. It’s time to follow his lead, which begins on Sunday in a stadium where they’ve never won.

Because of what he has demonstrated, it appears prudent for this team to rely on Dart to back up those thoughts with actions that, if given the opportunity, can change the narrative that has haunted this organisation.