Jaxson Dart frustrated by how Giants were outplayed by Eagles
Jaxson Dart takes losses hard, and the Giants’ rookie was accountable, acknowledging he knows he plays a position that is judged by wins and losses.
- New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has earned praise from Tom Brady for his leadership and accountability.
- The Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-20, dropping their season record to 2-6.
- Despite the losses, Dart expresses a determination to start winning games for the team.
PHILADELPHIA – The way Jaxson Dart chooses his words in tough moments, how carefully he parses his thoughts and reactions in the aftermath of such mind-numbing and exhausting setbacks, this is what the great quarterbacks notice as much as arm strength, pocket presence and football intelligence.
The emotional capacity to lead a team in the most difficult of circumstances – when nothing seems to be going right and all eyes are on the New York Giants rookie quarterback – is at the forefront any time the cameras are on and the microphones are open.
How Dart handles himself after losses like Sunday’s 38-20 defeat to the Eagles is as impressive as his play. Iconic winners like Tom Brady see the 22-year-old in the center of the spotlight and can’t help but praise his personality and professionalism, especially at the start of a promising NFL career as a franchise QB.
If there is any debate over the impact Dart is having, even after Sunday’s 38-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, just consider this praise from Brady, NFL on Fox analyst, seven-time Super Bowl champion and widely accepted as the greatest quarterback to ever play in the league.
“He’s got all of those QB1 traits I look for,” Brady said of Dart on “Fox NFL Sunday” just before kickoff of Giants-Eagles from here at Lincoln Financial Field. “What I like is all the things that come out of his mouth. I always look at quarterbacks and go, ‘How would I answer that question?’ When I hear Jaxson Dart, especially after last week’s loss in Denver, it was the same way. He took accountability for the mistakes.”
The mistakes were plentiful across the board for the Giants, who lost their 13th consecutive game to the Eagles at the Linc, and this one got away late with gut punches and knockout blows thrown by the home team throughout. Dart took a beating – emotionally and physically – after watching close friend and Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo leave the field on a cart and the stadium via ambulance to a local hospital where he is expected to have surgery to repair a dislocated ankle Sunday night.
This was Dart’s first defeat in that losing streak dating back to 2013 when Tom Coughlin was the coach, Eli Manning was the quarterback and the Eagles were the team stuck in neutral, then reverse, aimlessly trying to stabilize the franchise.
Now the Eagles (6-2) are the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Giants (2-6) are pushing to establish themselves again and fighting what feels like a week-to-week uphill battle despite his best effort.
“I thought they did a lot more things better than we did in a lot of areas,” said Dart, who completed 14-of-24 for 193 yards and a touchdown pass while adding another touchdown run, his fourth in five starts. “I don’t like the feeling of, I felt they really kind of dominated most of the game. It’s an embarrassing feeling. That’s just kind of how I feel. It’s frustrating because I felt confident coming into this game. Obviously, extra motivated because of how things happened last week. I really didn’t want one [loss] to lead to another. Disappointed we lost.”
There’s no question that, in the aftermath of the Giants’ epic collapse en route to their heartbreaking 33-32 defeat at the hands of the Broncos last Sunday, it was easy to overlook how Dart proved his mettle.
What unfolded in the game’s final 1:51 with Dart stepping into the spotlight and standing up to the No. 1 defense in the league was undeniably impressive. He showed resilience and plenty of that moxie the Giants have been wowed by since they traded back into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select him out of Ole Miss with the 25th overall pick.
But at the end of the day, the Giants lost in Denver. They lost again here Sunday, so no matter what Dart continues to prove about his present and his future, figuring out how to change the narrative falls squarely on his shoulders.
And it’s a responsibility Dart accepts because of where he ultimately expects to take this team.
“We’ve got to start figuring out ways to win because I hate [losing]. I’m not used to it,” Dart said. “I’m not just going to accept it. I’m not going to be OK with it. We as a team can’t be OK with it. We’ve got to figure this out.”
That attitude should give the Giants reason to believe they can eventually come out of this tailspin. Every game between now and the end of the 2025 is not a weekly referendum on Dart, this coaching staff or this front office.
What this all looks like when the full schedule is played, when the Giants can think about what comes next for Dart in his development – and the downright giddiness over what might be because of what they have seen so far – that’s the time for the organization to decide how everything else fits around him.
Because make no mistake: Dart again showed Sunday that, in the immortal words of Reggie Jackson, he is the Big Blue straw that stirs the drink around here from now on.
“He’s also just this competitive kid,” Brady said of Dart. “He said to me on the [game production] call this week, ‘Tom, I’m not into moral victories. I’ve got to make better plays. The team’s counting on me.’ This organization loves him a lot. They’re all invested in him [and] there’s a lot of good reasons to be.”
Jaxson Dart keeps validating Brady’s opinion, and in many ways with how he is playing and leading.
For the Giants, and especially for their quarterback, there’s little satisfaction in that fact if the wins don’t start coming at some point soon.
