Had you asked any Giants fan two months ago if they thought New York would make the playoffs, they’d have probably scoffed in your face and called you a lunatic. Fast forward to week 6 of the 2025 NFL Season, and Big Blue sits at 2-5. Those two wins have come in their last four games, both of which were against playoff teams from a year ago. The turnaround has fans ecstatic at the thought of being a competitive football team for the first time since 2022. If you’re new to football or not in touch with the NFL, you may be wondering what sparked this turnaround, and the answer is simple: Jaxson Dart.
It’s a very basic prospect. The quarterback of an NFL offense is the most essential piece to the puzzle when building a contender. Some teams look to trade for their guy, some turn to free agency, but the captain at the helm of every dynasty in NFL history has come from the NFL Draft.
Take a look at the New England Patriots, for example: 31 teams passed up on Tom Brady not once, not twice, but 6 different times before the Pats finally drafted him with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. It goes without saying that Brady made every one of those teams that turned a blind eye to him on draft day regret it, winning 7 Super Bowls over the course of his illustrious career.
On Sunday, October 19th, the Giants were on the losing end of the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in league history against the Denver Broncos. Despite his team’s breakdown, Jaxson Dart shone with 283 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. A game-changing interception in the fourth quarter will lead many to overlook his otherwise outstanding play against the NFL’s 2nd ranked defense, but it’s important to note that the defense allowed 33 unanswered points in the second half. It’s difficult for any quarterback, especially a rookie, to will a team to victory after a collapse of that magnitude. Dart’s late-game play should be taken with a grain of salt, as he did everything he could to put his team in a position to win.
One of the key things you look for in a quarterback isn’t a skill shown on the field; it’s present off of it. When asked about his fourth-quarter turnover, Dart flashed his accountability, stating, “I can’t do that. We were in full control of the game. In that situation, you can’t do that. That was an unacceptable mistake.” His play alone is promising enough to Giants fans, but to see this level of leadership and atonement gives them so much more to be excited about.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Brian Daboll commented on the loss. “It’s not one play, it’s not one position,” he said. “It’s not offense, defense. It’s collective… We lost the game. That was upsetting.” The 4th-year head coach isn’t playing the blame game, but this week brings about many questions as to how his team fumbled away such a winnable contest.
Daboll was the leading proprietor in drafting Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. His job security lies in the performance of his young quarterback, as it does the performance of his team as a whole. The coaching staff looked lost in the fourth quarter, and to subject a rookie like Jaxson to that level of ineptitude is unfair. Changes will be made, whether it’s tomorrow or a month from now; Daboll is on the hot seat, and he needs to figure out what direction to lead his team in before it’s too late.
With all that being said, the season is far from over. A loss is a loss, whether you lose by 1 or by 100; it all goes into the record books the same. The Giants sit in last place in the NFC East approaching their bye week, but before their week off, they must take on the reigning-champion Philadelphia Eagles once more. In yet another test for the giants, it will be key to not let the pressure get to them.
“I don’t really feel pressure. Pressure is given to those who play at a high level. The best players in the world are the ones involved with that word ‘pressure,’” Dart mentioned a few weeks back. The Giants went into this season with low expectations, so the pressure to play at a high level should be minimized. However, they’ve looked much better than the record shows and are far from eliminated from contention. A nothing-to-lose mentality is important to keep in the locker room.
While the takeaways from the first month and a half of the season are vast in comparison to one another, the most important thing to note is that this team has a bright future with Dart at the helm. At 22 years old, the sky’s the limit for the rookie. While growing pains are evident and to be expected, his strengths have outweighed his weaknesses. Giant’s faithful can rest assured that they’ve found their guy; A guy whose job is to fill an Eli-Manning-sized hole that’s been gaping wide since the 11th all-time passer’s retirement in 2020.
Dart is currently the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, an honor presented to just two former Giants since the award’s establishment in 1967. The prestigious nod would mark an astounding start to Dart’s promising NFL career, further boosting the confidence of the fans and the team. It will be exciting to see if Dart can overcome the team’s 2-5 start and continue to play at a high level. For Brian Daboll, I’m sure he shares the same hope as the fanbase. His tenure as head coach of the New York Giants could face an abrupt end if the team falls short of expectations once again, expectations that are much higher now that Dart has taken the reins at quarterback. It will be interesting to see how this young team bounces back with their sparkplug leader under center, and even more interesting to see what adjustments are made within the coaching staff.
Expect fireworks from the Giants’ offense the rest of the season, and expect Dart to cement himself as New York’s franchise guy. The future is bright in the Big Apple, and regardless of this season’s outcome, Giants fans can finally rejoice in the fact that they found their guy.
