The New York Giants and their fans might be feeling something they have not felt in a long time: hope. That is what rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has done for them, and they delivered a significant statement on Thursday night in a stunning 34-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Here are some key takeaways from their impressive win.
It is important to keep in mind that this is only Dart's third start of his career, and his story is still largely unwritten. But it's also hard to ignore the impact he has made and the way he has completely transformed the Giants offense — and the team as a whole.
He has not been perfect by any means, but he has injected life into franchise that needed something. Anything. Russell Wilson wasn't doing that. Daniel Jones didn't do it. Nobody else on the roster was going to change it.
On Thursday he completed 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for another 58 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. He got things rolling with a 19-yard touchdown run to give the Giants the lead.
JAXSON DART DOES IT HIMSELF.
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In three starts, he is now up to 56-of-85 for 508 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 167 yards and adding two more touchdowns.
What makes Thursday's performance so impressive is that he was doing it with a wide receiver group that had done next to nothing in the NFL and was again without its top pass-catcher in Malik Nabers.
It didn't matter.
Dart still made plays and outplayed the defending champions.
The only thing that should be giving the Giants cause for some concern is that his playing style and willingness to take hits is going to put him at risk for injury. He took some big hits on Thursday night and even had to briefly leave the game to be evaluated for a concussion. It's difficult for quarterback to play that sort of style in the NFL and sustain that type of punishment.
The Giants need him to be good and do what he has been doing. They also need him healthy.
While Dart plays the most important position and has been the biggest game-changer, fellow rookie Cam Skattebo has also injected some much-needed enthusiasm into this roster. His maniacal running style has made him an early fan favorite, but he's also been incredibly productive.
Thursday was his best game of the season to date as he rushed for 98 yards on 19 carries, while also scoring three touchdowns. Injuries have opened the door for him to get an extended look, and he is making the most of it.
Even though they started the season with a 4-0 record, it was easy to see that the Eagles were not even close to playing their best football. They were consistently dancing through the rain drops and finding random ways to scratch out wins, but nothing about the operation looked crisp. The passing game has been a mess, the offense as a whole has not clicked and it looks nothing like the team that dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
After finally having all of that catch up to them against the Denver Broncos a week ago, they looked even worse on Thursday and have now lost two games in a row.
When you factor in the blocked field goal they needed to beat the Los Angeles Rams, and how close their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was two weeks ago, this team is only one or two plays away from being 3-3 or worse right now.
Not having superstar defensive lineman Jalen Carter on Thursday night due to injury certainly hurt their defensive performance, but that doesn't give the offense any sort of a pass. There are issues with the Eagles, and none of them are getting cleaned up.
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