Jaxson Dart Embraces Opportunity to Play Road Spoiler vs. Eagles

In his first four games as an NFL starter, he’s holding a 2-2 record, which arguably should have been a 3-2 mark had his defense held its water last week against the Denver Broncos.

Though to hear Dart tell it, the Giants should be 4-0 in that span except that, in addition to the collapse against Denver, the offense completely fell apart at the seams against a winless Saints team, thanks to five turnovers.

That aside, Dart has shown that he’s unflappable in the face of pressure, which he's sure to face a lot this weekend when he lines up across from the Eagles' pass rush. 

“I feel like I've kind of always had that a little bit,” he said of his fearlessness. “I have no problem sitting in the pocket and taking a hit when I have to deliver the ball, and the same goes when I have to extend it. 

“My mentality stays the same. I want to attack but also be smart, so I try my best to do that, and when things break down, I try to make a play. But I feel like it's kind of just been my play style since I was a little kid.”

Dart attributes keeping his cool to past experiences dating back to Pee-Wee football. 

“I think that when you've been put in high-pressure moments for a lot of your career since you were a kid, you kind of find those moments enjoyable, and at the same time, it’s when I watched the best players in the world when I was a kid, that's what they were doing,” he said. 

“I think it's just exciting to have the ball in your hands in those situations.”

Philly’s home crowd is usually very unwelcoming of visitors, at times being downright relentless in its heckling of visiting players. But Dart, who experienced that kind of treatment from his SEC foes, is ready for the worst. 

“I like to hear it,” he said of the chatter that tends to drift from the fans down to the field. “I mean, it just amps up the intensity, amps up the moment. I mean, shoot, it's a lot more fun to play in front of that than to play in front of no one at all.”