NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart Among the League's Best in This Key Metric

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has gotten his NFL career off to a strong start, and he's resurrected the Giants’ 2025 season in the process.

Dart is 2-1 as a starter, with his two wins coming against very good teams, and his basic stats are pretty darn impressive for a 22-year-old quarterback.

Through three starts (and five games overall), Dart has 508 passing yards, a 65.9 completion percentage, four passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for two touchdowns.

But where Dart has been stellar is on third- and fourth-downs, aka the “money downs,” this according to Pro Football Focus’ Nick Akridge. The popular analytics site found that Dart has the highest PFF grade on third- and fourth-down plays (94.7) among all NFL QBs.

Dart is playing with a maturity beyond his years. It’s difficult to tell whether his fearlessness in big moments stems from his lack of experience (ignorance is bliss), some innate trait, or a combination of both.

Still, head coach Brian Daboll and everyone else associated with the Giants are just hoping Dart’s habit of converting first downs becomes a permanent one.

Dart’s development won’t be without its bumps in the road, as the Saints game showed, but he’s displaying early signs of possessing the sort of clutch DNA that helps quarterbacks win in the playoffs.

Now, Dart faces another tough test as he attempts to get a win against the Broncos in Denver in Week 7. Surely, Broncos head coach Sean Payton will make third down an emphasis for Denver’s defense as it looks to stifle Dart.

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have his hands full while game planning for Dart on third and fourth downs, and Dart’s rushing capabilities are a big reason why.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) runs with the ball during a Thursday Night Football game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Oct. 9, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dart, as a rusher, has recorded 14 first downs out of his 32 rushing attempts. Eight of those 14 have come on third down.

Looking at the larger picture, Dart has 38 first downs on 125 plays, with 20 of those 38 coming on the money downs.

It’s hard to game plan for a player who knows how to operate when everything breaks down.

That’s the area of the game where coaching means less, and the instincts of players on the field take over. It’s also an area that Dart has owned thus far as a pro.

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