Jaxson Dart on Track to Return for Giants and More on Big Blue Breakdown Live!

Rookie Jaxson Dart may only miss one game in the NFL's concussion protocol as he began participating in non-contact drills during Wednesday's practice and is trending toward starting Sunday against the Detroit Lions, New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka said.

Dart left after the third quarter of the loss in Chicago and did not play against Green Bay, prompting Jameis Winston to handle the offense against the Packers.

Kafka said the plan is for Dart to have Winston as his backup this weekend, if Dart receives the necessary clearances to play. Dart has remained diligent in his studies while away and should be well prepared.

"I don't want to speak for Jaxson, but he's a pretty smart player," Kafka said. "He was dialed into our game plans last week. I mean, he's been preparing like this even early in the season when he wasn't the starter, so I wouldn't expect anything different. We just had a great walkthrough with him and the offense [Wednesday morning] ...

"And again, why we practice is so we can continue to get better, so the mistakes, if they happen, that's great, we can go get them cleaned up, we can go get them fixed, we can take some positives out of that and continue to build.

“So, whatever happens on the practice field, that's the greatest challenge as a coach: Okay, when things go wrong, how do I adjust and correct it and then give that information to the player so that on gameday, they can just play fast and decisively?"

The Giants' offense has been a steady presence in the middle of the pack throughout most of the NFL's key offensive categories since Dart was inserted as the starter in Week 4, although a chunk of the credit has to go to the offensive line.

"When the offensive line is playing well, it makes offense really easy, especially for the skill guys," said left tackle Andrew Thomas.

"So, we try to do our best to make sure that we win early downs. It makes third downs a lot easier, and then when it's time to throw the ball ... [and] winning your one-on-one matchups, it really helps the team. So, we just try to look for ways to improve every week."

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