The New York Giants left Monday night with far more than a 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams to sort through. The biggest concern is Jaxson Dart, and while the early signs are better than the worst-case scenario, the injury still hangs over everything.
The expectation is that imaging on Tuesday will confirm a sprained MCL. That would be a relief compared with the alternative, and Giants coach John Harbaugh made clear after the game that there was at least some comfort in how Dart looked afterward.
“We’ll know more when we find out more,” Giants coach John Harbaugh said after the game.
Harbaugh did allow that there was “no question” that seeing Dart moving around on the sideline after the game and believing his injury wasn’t season-ending was comforting.
“The fact that it’s not that outcome that you’re talking about, the devastating outcome, is really good news,” he said.
Dart’s injury also came in a way that cuts against the ongoing talk about whether he has been protecting himself enough when he runs. He had slid in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. This time, he was hurt in the pocket, the place quarterbacks are supposed to be safest, even if the rules can’t do anything about getting caught between two rushers and having a knee bend the wrong way.
Maybe Dart misses two weeks. Maybe he misses six. Either way, the Giants are about to find out a lot about themselves.
Giants players said the right things afterward, even if the loss hit hard in the moment. Winstn called losing Dart a “gut punch.”
“You get ready to play another one,” Winston said of what the Giants do now. “You got another opponent and they don’t care.”
“We’re going to continue to practice hard, get out there, be more intentional about what we’ve got to do, what we’ve got to accomplish. Rally around Jameis,” said Malik Nabers.
“For us to come in here and … get punched in the face, you have to get back up and keep going,” right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said. “There’s still 15 more rounds.”
That was the message after the game. The bigger story was what the Rams revealed about the 2026 Giants.
For starters, the hot-start hype needs to be checked. After the opening win over Dallas, some were ready to treat this like a Patriots-style leap from 4-13 to instant contender.
That was never the most realistic read. A 9-8 type season was the most optimistic forecast that could be made, and the Rams made sure everybody remembered the gap between a promising team and a real Super Bowl contender.
Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, Aaron Donald, Sean McVay and the rest of that roster showed what the standard looks like. The Giants are not there.
The floor has clearly been raised under John Harbaugh. The ceiling is still very much a mystery. Monday night just exposed how much work remains.
One of the first problems: the run game without Dart. The Giants averaged 2.5 yards per rush against the Rams and are at 3.7 yards per carry through two games, which ranks 22nd in the NFL.
If you remove Dart’s 11 carries for 54 yards from Week 1, that number falls to 3.5. Their longest non-Dart run over two games is 13 yards.
This is supposed to be a run-first team, and it did not look like one on Monday. After a turnover gave them the ball at the Rams’ 11-yard line, they ran four times, including a 3-yard loss that was wiped out by a Los Angeles penalty, and came away with a field goal while trailing 14-0. That kind of sequence does not move games in the right direction.
The front has to be better, and the Andrew Thomas injury could make things harder. The Giants were beaten up front, and there were also moments where the timing and execution were messy, with players colliding on plays that should have been cleaner.
Then there’s the pass rush, or lack of it. Through two games, the Giants have one sack and five quarterback hits.
That’s not enough, especially when defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is trying to get by with four-man pressure. Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford have had far too much comfort in the pocket.
The sack percentage is 1.52, worse than every team in the league except the Miami Dolphins. With Brian Burns injured, there is no quick fix waiting around the corner.
The secondary had its own problems. Colton Hood, Greg Newsome and Tyler Nubin were not able to handle Davante Adams, and the linebackers and safeties were not up to the task against Terrance Ferguson.
There are no simple answers there, either. A Joey Porter trade can live in the imagination, but the real help likely has to come in the offseason through free agency and the draft.
Run defense was another step back. After holding Dallas down a week earlier, the Giants let the Rams pile up 163 yards on 28 carries, a 5.8 average. Through two games, they are giving up 5.0 yards per rush, which ranks 28th in the NFL.
It was also hard to ignore the personnel choices up front. Darius Alexander, the 2025 second-round pick, was inactive even though he does not appear to be improving against the run.
Instead, the Giants turned to Josh Tupou, a journeyman who had spent time on the practice squad and played in six games with the Ravens over the past two seasons, along with C.J. Okoye, the Nigerian-born defensive tackle who knew nothing about football until 2023.
That is not an encouraging sign.
The schedule had looked manageable not long ago, with Tennessee, Arizona, Washington and New Orleans up next. That stretch still may not be brutal, but after Monday there is no reason to assume the Giants will simply roll through it.
The good vibes that started when Harbaugh was hired took a real hit against the Rams. Dart’s injury made the night worse.
The reality check made it even heavier. The next 15 rounds will tell the story.
In Other News...
Brian Burns Just Became A Much Bigger Giants Money Question
Brian Burns has quickly turned into more than just one of the Giants most important pass rushers - he is now part of a bigger salary-cap puzzle that Joe Schoen has been pushing into the future. The GM has already reworked Burns deal twice to create room in the 2025 and 2026 cap years, a move that helped the club in the short term but also stacked heavier charges farther down the road.
Burns is signed through 2028, which gives New York some control, but it also leaves the Giants weighing whether an extension makes more sense than simply absorbing those rising numbers later. With Andrew Thomas and Kayvon Thibodeaux also looming as major cap considerations, the teams flexibility will be tested by a handful of core players at once, and Burns may be the clearest example of how todays relief can become tomorrows problem. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Fans Immediately Had One Big Fear After Jaxson Dart Went Down
Jaxson Darts night took an immediate turn on the Giants first offensive drive Monday at SoFi Stadium, when the rookie quarterback went down with a knee injury after taking a hit while throwing a pass. Dart limped off the field and was listed as questionable to return, a jolt the Giants could do without as they tried to settle into the game early.
Jameis Winston stepped in at quarterback after Dart exited, giving New York a veteran option under center while the bigger concern hung over the sideline. For Giants fans, the reaction was instant and obvious, since any injury to a young quarterback always raises the same uneasy question about how long the team might have to manage without him. [Read more 🡒]
Giants-Rams Betting Twist Could Change Monday Night Touchdown Picks
A late-week injury note around Puka Nacua has already started to reshape the conversation around Monday nights Giants-Rams matchup, and not just for the Rams. With the Los Angeles star trending in the wrong direction because of a groin injury, the betting board suddenly looks a little different, opening the door for other anytime touchdown options to move into view as the game gets closer.
For a Giants team that has leaned into the uncertainty of these prime-time spots, the ripple effect matters because touchdown picks often hinge on opportunity as much as talent. Isaiah Likely, Davante Adams and Jaxson Dart have all surfaced as alternative names to watch, but the matchup still calls for caution with certain players because of workload splits and defensive matchups that could limit the appeal of the more obvious choices. [Read more 🡒]