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Sep 7, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Why NY Giants Are Playing it Smart at Quarterback

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The euphoria felt by New York Giants fans following a three-game preseason slate in which the different levels of offense generated 30+ points per game turned out to be, in retrospect, fool’s gold if the results of the first game of the regular season are to be believed.

Indeed, playing their starters against the opponent’s starters, the best the Giants offense could do was to muster up six points, making this their third straight regular-season opener in which they did not score a touchdown and were blown out by the time the game ended.

People will point to the play of quarterback Russell Wilson, which, while not near what was expected given some hesitancy and the herky-jerky way in which the offense failed to flow, was only a part of the problem.

But because the Giants have a young and promising-looking fresh face at the position (unlike the bigger culprit, which is the offensive line–more on that in a moment), the screaming for Wilson to be benched in favor of first-round rookie Jaxson Dart has already begun.

Head coach Brian Daboll, however, made it clear on Monday that he’s sticking with Wilson, and that Sunday’s 21-6 loss to the Commanders was not all on Wilson.

But make no mistake: the pressure is on Wilson, who again didn’t look like he was the answer either, to deliver when the Giants visit Dallas this weekend.

If he doesn’t, the calls for Dart are going to intensify to the point that they’ll be deafening for Daboll to ignore.

Giants can't the process with Dart

For months, the Giants laid out a carefully crafted plan for Dart’s development, including a timeline. While plans can certainly change either way, to press the panic button after just one game could end up doing more harm than good in the long run.

“I think that’s the natural thing these days in the sport of football, … is that everybody wants ‘new’ as soon as they think things aren’t going well,’’ said receiver Darius Slayton. “But the reality is things take time, and not everything is just a 9-1-1 situation.

“We have good coaches, we have a good quarterback in Russell Wilson, and it’s one week, you know? In the history of football, it hasn’t always served people well to just throw people in the fire. Because I know I wouldn’t want to be thrown in the fire like that.

“Obviously, Jaxson believes in himself; he obviously believes he’s a good football player. We believe he’s a good football player. But at the same time, this league is hard, this league is tough, and you see players get chewed up and spit out all the time by this league, which is something I would never want to have happen to him.’’

Slayton is spot on, though certainly if the Giants turn in another clunker this weekend, the calls for a change are only going to further intensify.

Daboll, for his part, has said that the Giants' sluggish offense is not all on Wilson. While not going into more detail, the starting offensive line certainly didn’t help matters either.

According to PFF, the Giants’ offensive line gave up 13 pressures on Sunday, tied for the sixth most with Dallas. Of the starting five offensive linemen, the three interior players–guards Greg Van Roten and Jon Runyan Jr, and center John Michael Schmitz–accounted for 11 of those pressures, contributing to Wilson being under pressure once every 3.46 drop-backs.

If the offensive line can't protect Wilson, who should theoretically be quicker to diagnose and process what’s unfolding before him, does it really pay to force Dart into the lineup at this moment and risk destroying his confidence?

The answer is no. The offensive line could potentially get a boost with the return of Andrew Thomas, who, as of this writing, is still not a sure thing for Week 2, but that unit clearly has to start playing better or else it doesn’t matter who lines up under center.

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This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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