Giants' season-opening high comes crashing down as Jaxson Dart's knee injury overshadows Rams' blowout win
The New York Giants were riding high coming into Los Angeles to face a frustrated Rams team that returned home from a beatdown in Australia.
After defeating the Dallas Cowboys on their own home turf, the talk around the league after just one week was that the Giants could be a problem for the rest of the NFL in this John Harbaugh era.
But those giant expectations took a massive hit on "Monday Night Football" after quarterback Jaxson Dart was ruled out after a brutal hit led to a knee injury that now has the organization and fan base collectively waiting for MRI results with bated breath.
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Once Dart left the game, and Jameis Winston took over for the Giants, the offense that surprised the Cowboys last week with its ground-and-pound nature struggled to find its footing against a revitalized Rams defense—one that lacked Myles Garrett, but featured the return of future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald at SoFi Stadium.
Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford looked more like the reigning MVP in this game compared to Week 1, and with tons of time in the pocket, he dissected the Giants’ defense as the Rams cruised to a 28-6 victory to get its first of the new season.
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Now, things hang in the balance as the Giants await Dart’s MRI results, which should come on Tuesday. Dart was clutching at his knee after getting sandwiched between two Rams defenders that beat the Giants’ tackles off the edge, and while airborne, video replay showed his leg shift in an awkward way.
Dart was able to walk off on his own power, and ESPN’s Jordan Raanan even reported during the game that he tried to let the coaching staff put him back in the game. They refused to let him.
It's a good sign to see Dart’s fight to get back in the game, which could also showcase that his injury isn’t as severe as initially thought. OutKick's Armando Salguero reported a possible MCL could be what Dart and the Giants are looking at, but in a Week 2 filled with key quarterback injuries, every party is just hoping the 2026 season isn't awash for the second-year signal caller out of Ole Miss.
If Dart is to miss time, this new Giants regime will be tested to keep their lofty expectations afloat because, after watching what occurred on both sides of the ball, there’s certainly work to do.
On offense, while it’s a tough task for any backup quarterback to take over on a moment’s notice, the run game that worked so well in Week 1 was non-existent this time around. It certainly helped that Donald was back in a Rams uniform, but the rest of their defenders were solid at the line of scrimmage, limiting New York to just 44 rushing yards as a team compared to 165 in Week 1. Donald finished his first game back in two years with three total tackles, one for loss.
It also didn't help the Giants that star receiver Malik Nabers gave the team a scare when he left after getting a target from Winston, gripping at his right shoulder. He would eventually return to the game, but occurring just a few snaps between Dart's injury, Giants fans were thinking the worst yet again.
Then, on defense, Stafford didn’t have Puka Nacua, who was sidelined due to injury, but he did have future Hall of Fame receiver Davante Adams. With the Giants finding no amount of pressure on most of Stafford’s dropbacks, he couldn’t stop finding Adams for chunk plays.
It was a 31-yard touchdown pass to Adams for his first score of the game, a 64-yard catch-and-run set up a touchdown pass to running back Kyren Williams, and a signature fade route where Giants rookie cornerback Colton Hood had no chance after Adams’ release off the line. Adams finished the game with eight catches for 195 yards and two scores.
The Giants' pass rush, which was expected to be a potentially fearsome group this season, will be a talking point throughout the week as Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and more couldn't get through the Rams' offensive line, which held up nicely for their 38-year-old quarterback to operate. And the injury bug continued toward the end of the game for the Giants, as Burns rolled his ankle. The cart came out to take him to the locker room, but he turned it down to walk on his own.
It was a tail of two sidelines where the Rams got back on the right path, while the Giants, in the midst of hoping for the best for their quarterback, need to go back to the drawing board with crucial home games ahead.