NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart Reflects on Winning NFL Debut

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart waited literally his entire life for the moment to come when he would be entrusted as the starting quarterback of an NFL team.

That moment came on Sunday as Dart led the Giants to a 21-18 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, giving the home crowd something to go home happy about.

Afterward, Dart, mostly pleased with how his debut turned out, tried to keep things in perspective.

“It was just a football game. I think that's just the best way to describe it,” he said. “Obviously, this experience was a special one, it being my first one. I'm just grateful to have the guys around me that I had.

“I obviously want to give a big shout-out to (quarterback Russell Wilson) Russ. I know that this week probably wasn't the easiest thing, but he handled it like a professional and was just a mentor for me. I just have a ton of respect for him.

“It goes for (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) as well, just getting me prepared for this week. I'm really proud of the guys for being able to battle through some adversity throughout the game. It's not always going to be the cleanest, but I was just happy that we were able to come out with the win.”

That the Giants did, scoring on three of their first possessions to take a lead they’d never relinquish.

Dart finished 13-of-20 passing (65.0%) for 111 yards and one touchdown, and added 10 rushing attempts for 54 yards and one touchdown, the 15-yard rushing touchdown on the opening drive the longest rushing touchdown by a Giants rookie quarterback since QB Phil Simms scored on a 17-yard rush vs. San Francisco on 10/14/79, and his 54 rushing yards tying Daniel Jones (54 yards vs. Dallas, 11/4/19) for the fourth-most rushing yards by a Giants rookie quarterback in franchise history.

Dart’s mobility was a big factor in helping him avoid some sticky situations as well as picking up yardage.

“I'd like to be a little bit more efficient in the passing game, creating a few more explosive plays. But they had a really good plan for us, so you've got to give them a ton of credit,” he said.

“They’ve played really good defense this past three weeks, and we knew that coming into this game. The vertical passing game down the field just really wasn't there because of how they played. They're very disciplined, so we were able to take some things underneath. When things look a little sticky in coverage, I'll just try to make some plays with my legs.”

At one point, Dart was seen on the sideline having his left hamstring stretched out. The injury slightly altered the game plan to have him run more RPOs, and at one point, Dart was marked by the spotter to be evaluated for a concussion, which he cleared.

“I was pissed,” Dart said about the spotter pulling him out of the game to be checked.. “I want to see anybody try to sprint 70 yards as hard as you can, and then you've got to run back and get ready for the next play. You're going to be tired. That's all it was. I was just tired. Obviously, I never want to come out of the game.”

As the game clock wore down and the Giants clung to the lead, that’s when the reality set in for the rookie.

“I was waiting for it to hit zero, because obviously that Dallas game, in my mind, I thought we were going to have that one. So, I was just staring at the clock, and I was waiting for it to count down,” he said.

“(Guard) Jon Runyan was right next to me, and that was a cool moment to have with him. Yeah, it was just special to get the first one. This is just the start.”

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