Mina Kimes reveals most important thing about Jaxson Dart’s debut vs Chargers, ‘he has to be…’

Giants’ Jaxson Dart carries the pressure of the Giants’ franchise, and Mina Kimes has advice for his debut

Jaxson Dart’s performance will now determine the future of Brian Daboll and his staff, and potentially GM Joe Schoen and the front office, too.

Daboll earned a head coaching opportunity thanks to the incredible work he did with a young Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. He now gets the chance to develop a quarterback that he drafted, pushing all his chips in on Dart as the future of the franchise.

If things work out, Daboll and company likely get a chance to continue building around their quarterback. If the experiment goes poorly, the Giants may strip it back to the studs and start again at the end of the year.

Fans of the franchise had mixed reactions to Dart being named the starter this early, and the main concern is his debut opposition.

The LA Chargers have earned a reputation as one of the most well-coached teams in football over the last year, under the guidance of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Minter was with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and has now become one of the hottest coordinators in the NFL, having built a dominant defense in LA.

Mina Kimes expressed that she would have hoped Dart wouldn’t have to make his debut against that defense, but understood why Daboll and company made the switch after Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

She went on to say:

“Dart has to be patient. The Chargers really make you work your way up and down the field. They don’t give up a lot of explosives. They like to keep everything in front of them so the quarterback has to check it down a lot, you have to have a low average depth of target.”

“But, and this is important. When there are opportunities for big plays, you have to take them. Whether you’re able to beat them on play action or double moves outside. You saw that Denver had those opportunities last week, and Bo Nix just wasn’t able to connect on them.”

She finished by saying: “You have to be opportunistic, throwing deep while being patient working underneath. It’s a lot to ask of the rookie, and we’ll see how it goes.”

The Chargers are currently allowing a 57.9% completion percentage, ranking fifth in the NFL. As Mina Kimes said, they keep everything in front of them and make it very difficult to beat them deep down the field, as reflected by their 5.5 yards per pass allowed, which is second in the league.

The NFL world has been impressed by the Chargers so far this season, and Jim Harbaugh’s team is 3-0 going into the matchup with Jaxson Dart and the Giants. The rookie will be tested, but if he plays well, he’ll quickly earn the respect of those watching.

Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers have a chance to be franchise-altering duo in New York

The New York Giants have a star in Malik Nabers, who led the NFL in receiving yards through the first two games of the 2025 season. He was then far too easily marked out of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which is something the Giants have been criticized for schematically.

Jaxson Dart will hope to build an elite chemistry with Nabers on the field, and that connection will be the key to unlocking the offense’s potential.

Nabers had nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the heartbreaking loss against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. When he’s that hot, the Giants can put a lot of points on the board, and Jaxson Dart will be looking to lean on his star receiver as he settles into the QB1 role this weekend.