NY Giants Rise Multiple Spots in MMQB's Latest Power Rankings Poll

Indeed, there was something impressive about the latest performance by Dart, the Giants' rookie gunslinger who has grown comfortable with leading the franchise's offense and showing positive flashes despite just three starts under his belt.

First, he completely bounced back from his two-interception outing against the New Orleans Saints in the previous game, which added to five total turnovers by the Giants in a disappointing 26-14 loss.

He responded with a fairly clean passing sheet that saw him go 17 of 25 for 195 yards and a touchdown while only being sacked twice for a one-yard loss.

That answer came from a first-year player tasked with navigating an Eagles opponent the Giants have had trouble competing with in recent years, including losing 10 of the last 13 meetings dating back to the 2019 season, when a different rookie arm was taking over for Daniel Jones.

Philadelphia also entered the latest affair at MetLife Stadium with a 4-1 record, and one of the league's toughest defenses, led by its talented defensive front, could irritate aerial attacks with a top-15 standing in team pass-rush win rate.

Key injuries to notable faces of that operation in the lead-up to the contest would lend the Giants some unexpected favor, though, as Dart would open the game by authoring two consecutive touchdown drives for the second straight game and not looking back this time around.

The Giants saw some adversity in the form of a late first-half rally by the Eagles to cut the home team's advantage to 20-17 at the halftime break.

On the other side, it was the mix of cool and bold playmaking by Dart and company, some that did run the quarterback into another brief visit to the blue tent, that didn't let the ball drop on their hopes for a resounding victory.

Don't forget the Giants' huge contributions from other critical players, such as fellow running back Cam Skattebo, who notched nearly 100 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries.

Skattebo is undoubtedly becoming the new leader in the rushing department and offering fans another reason for hope in the future.

The Giants' defense had its hands in the final score as well, with three sacks of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and two forced turnovers, including the 68-yard interception return by cornerback Cor'Dale Flott that helped New York stymie a second-half push by Philadelphia and set up the decisive scoring punch in the fourth quarter.

The organization sits at just 2-4 through six games and with their own slew of injuries to overcome as they strive for more success in the remainder of the season, but having an outing like last Thursday with young pieces leading the charge was small proof that the Giants could build something special with their current crew and potentially compete with the big teams down the road.

In the days leading up to their game with the Denver Broncos in the Mile High on Sunday afternoon, Dart and his teammates will have another shot to bolster the confidence of outsiders like Orr if they can repeat their crisp offensive drives and aggressive defensive pressure against a new opponent who has done both things at one of the highest levels in the NFL.

It will certainly be a bigger challenge than the Eagles posed with their roster not at full strength, but still, nobody will take that win lightly because of how long the Giants have been the butt of the joke in that heated rivalry and in primetime matchups in general.

The feat orchestrated by the Giants' novice signal caller has awakened what has been an apathetic group of believers in East Rutherford and beyond, many of whom will want to see what they can do to salvage positives for the remainder of this fall.