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Giants make unwanted history in Jaxson Dart's first loss
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) runs with the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Giants make unwanted history in Jaxson Dart's first loss

By Conor Killmurray  |  Last updated Oct 5, 2025 9:02 PM ET

It was just a week ago that the New York Giants were given what felt like a fresh start. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart led the team to their first win of the season, and Big Blue had enough momentum to beat the previously winless New Orleans Saints.

Instead, the Giants lost 26-14 in New Orleans. While the score suggests a fairly hard-fought game, the reality is that the Giants made too many mistakes to overcome. So many mistakes, in fact, that New York made some unwanted history. 

The New York Giants have a historic series of turnovers

The Giants had five turnovers in their loss to the Saints. Three fumbles were lost by wide receiver Darius Slayton, Dart and rookie running back Cam Skattebo, respectively, along with two interceptions thrown by Dart. All of these turnovers happened on five straight drives. 

Before the five consecutive turnovers, the Giants scored back-to-back touchdowns on their first two offensive drives. Dart hit second-year tight end Theo Johnson for a one-yard and an 11-yard touchdown to open the game. According to the CBS broadcast, this was the first time in five years the Giants had consecutive touchdowns on their first two drives of the game. 

Their next five turnovers, however, made the Giants the only NFL team over the last 30 seasons to score a touchdown on consecutive drives and then have a turnover on five straight drives in the same game, per OptaSTATS.

Poor execution spoils Jaxson Dart's second start

With superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, there were plenty of concerns about what the Giants' offense would look like. At first, it looked like Johnson could be the replacement playmaker for Nabers that the team desperately needed. At least a sure-fire target for Dart to go to. 

Instead, the Saints keyed in on Dart targeting his tight ends — Daniel Bellinger led the Giants in receptions (4) and yards (52) — and shut them down. Dart had to look to his other receivers, and they all came up short. To the rookies' credit, he didn't blame anyone else and took responsibility for his role in the five consecutive turnovers that cost New York the game.

"This is on me," Dart told reporters. "I've never cared about my age. Coming into the NFL, I'm the youngest quarterback in the league, and I could give two craps about that. It's about winning. So, I don't take any excuses about age or being a rookie, there's a responsibility when you're the quarterback to go win games, that's just the standard I hold myself to."

No matter how good a team is, five turnovers will likely lead to a loss. And the Giants aren't good enough to overcome a single turnover, let alone five. The Giants are also no strangers to making history when they lose. So, if history is to change in New York, then Dart will have to lead the response in perhaps their toughest matchup yet — on "Thursday Night Football" against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Conor Killmurray

Conor Killmurray is a long-suffering fan of New York sports, particularly the Giants and Mets—a potent combination for heartbreak, if you ask him. He graduated from West Chester University with a degree in English and enjoys searching for the most interesting sports stories to write about.

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