ORCHARD PARK, NY – It doesn’t count. Not really. This is the preseason, an exhibition football game in the middle of August, when the game plans are vanilla and carried out by those weeks away from waking up from their NFL dreams.
But that doesn’t matter because it doesn’t make this any less impressive, feel any less good.
There was Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, standing tall in the face of pressure, delivering a perfect touch pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey before being knocked to the ground for a 28-yard score on third down. Dart popped up as quickly as he went down to celebrate. New York’s sideline erupted.
That moment, those that followed, birthed hope.
“Hopefully we can continue to stack wins,” Dart said after the Giants' 34-25 road victory over the Bills. “Make a habit of it.”
Effective. Efficient. Aggressive. That’s how head coach Brian Daboll described his rookie quarterback’s NFL debut. A succinct analysis, but accurate. The touchdown was the highlight, but not the only head-turning moment.
On Dart’s first series, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka dialed up a read option. Dart kept the ball, but saw pressure right off the jump. There was no panic. He dodged Michael Hoecht and found Greg Dulcich for a short gain. That was a theme.
Dart routinely moved within the pocket to evade the rush, but kept his eyes down the field to give his receivers time. That’s how he found Montrel Washington for 18 when the team needed 15. There was also a 19-yard scramble where he found a lane and scampered through.
Dart finished Saturday 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) for 154 yards with a touchdown. He had a quarterback rating of 106. He led the Giants to points on three of his four possessions.
“I felt like the only reason we stopped ourselves from scoring touchdowns was some of those third downs and not converting,” said Dart. “I felt like, personally, I’m really hard on myself, in those moments, I want to capitalize on that. Those possessions in crunch-time situations determine the outcome of games.
“I feel like I can do a lot more, but I was happy with how the guys played around me.”
Context matters. The Bills did not game plan for Dart and the Giants' offense. The Bills' defense the rookie saw on Saturday was elementary addition and subtraction compared to what he’d experience on September Sundays.
Don’t make preseason games more than they are. Daniel Jones completed all five of his passes for 67 yards and a touchdown in his preseason debut.
But it’s better to look good than bad. And Dart, against the Bills, looked good. He looked really, really good.
He showed what Daboll fell in love with during the pre-draft process, why the quarterback guru wanted him so bad.
“Some stuff we can work on, but he’s doing good,” said Daboll. “He has good moxie. He has toughness. He has leadership.
“I’m glad he’s here… That was a good start for him.”
The Giants have no plans to play Dart this season. New York signed Russell Wilson — who engineered a 16-play, 40-yard field goal drive in his only possession Saturday (six of seven passing, 28 yards) — so they could redshirt their green rookie. Dart played college football at Ole Miss. That means he spent three years in Lane Kiffin’s anything-but-pro-style offense.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll want Dart to sit, watch, and learn. The only way he sees the field is if they must break the glass in case of an emergency (or their own job security).
Wilson has undeniably been the Giants' best quarterback this summer. Dart has impressed, too. He’s not NFL-ready, but hasn’t looked like a detriment to those around him when on the field, either. There’s only so much you can glean from practice. Things are scripted and, after a few weeks, the defense knows what’s coming, even in call-it periods.
The preseason is a chance to see another team, look, and scheme. Saturday was Dart's first test. He passed with flying colors.
“I thought Jaxson did a great job; I thought he made some great throws,” said Wilson. “He and I were joking because I was telling him how I remember my first touchdown. It’s such a great feeling.”
The Giants haven’t given their fans much to cheer for in recent years. There was the playoff run and victory in 2022, but even that ended in humiliating fashion with a blowout loss to the rival Eagles in the divisional round. New York owns the worst record in the NFL since 2017 (40-91-1). They’ve also lost 10-plus games nine times since their 2011 Super Bowl title.
It’s been miserable. Hard to find anything to feel good about with this team.
Nothing changes all that faster than a young quarterback.
Maybe this ends up being an aberration, but right now, the Giants can sleep believing they’ve found theirs.
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