Brian Daboll Had Honest Assessment of Jaxson Dart's NFL Debut As Giants Get First Win

The Giants upset the Chargers in Dart's first start.

Brian Daboll assessed Jaxson Dart's performance after the Giants' upset of the Chargers / Screengrab via @SNYGiants on X/Twitte

Jaxson Dart led the Giants to their first win of the season just days after he was named the team's starting quarterback. Following a rough start to the new campaign, Brian Daboll looked thrilled on the sideline after they pulled out an upset of the undefeated Chargers behind the rookie.

Dart had an electric start to the day, with a solid first drive that he capped with an impressive 15-yard touchdown run. On the day, he went 13-or-20 passing with 111 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 54 yards and a score. He was named starter earlier this week after a spotty start to the year behind Russell Wilson. The Giants hoped Dart would bring a spark to salvage their season, which he certainly did in his first try. Coming off the big win, Daboll provided a sound assessment of his team's new QB1.

"It wasn't perfect, didn't expect it to be in his first game," he said to reporters after the win via SNY. "But a tough opponent, a 3-0 team with a pretty good defense. Thought he made good decisions, thought we ran the ball well, thought we controlled the game for the most part. ... But I think the young man played well within himself and made a huge play when he needed to. ... Happy we got him."

"Thought he made good decisions, thought we ran the ball well, thought we controlled the game for the most part"

Brian Daboll on Jaxson Dart and the Giants performance today: pic.twitter.com/R3q5AUUM80

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 28, 2025

New York chose Dart with the 25th pick in the first round of April's NFL draft. Over the first few weeks, he appeared in running packages as fans clamored for him to start given the team and Wilson's struggles.

So far so good, although it's far from perfect like Daboll said. After finding the win column for the first time this year, the Giants will travel to New Orleans next week to play the 0-4 Saints as Dart looks to build more momentum.

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