The Giants’ Monday night trip to Los Angeles unraveled fast, and by the time it was over, the 28-6 final felt about right. New York was beaten in every phase, limited to 182 total yards and left looking second-rate for most of the night as the Rams rolled to a convincing win.
The damage started immediately. On the first drive, franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart took a shot from Byron Young and Josiah Stewart and had to head to the locker room for X-rays. From there, the Giants were forced to chase the game with a backup plan that never really clicked.
Jameis Winston was part of that problem. Under steady pressure and never settled in, he went 11-for-27 for 111 yards with an interception. If Dart is sidelined longer because of the knee injury, that becomes a real concern for an offense that already looked stuck in neutral.
The injuries kept coming, too. Malik Nabers hurt his shoulder and returned, but Andrew Thomas exited with a groin injury in the fourth quarter before Brian Burns went down with a low-ankle sprain. Burns’ early update was at least encouraging, but the status of Dart and Thomas looms largest after a night that kept getting worse for New York.
The stat line tells the story of the offense. The Giants finished with 182 yards, 11 first downs, 3.3 yards per play, 52 rushing yards, 27 minutes of possession and only two field goals. Against a Rams team that can clearly be classified as Super Bowl-caliber, that just wasn’t close to enough.
The pass rush didn’t do enough to tilt the field, either. Abdul Carter did notch a sack on Matthew Stafford in the third quarter, but that was the lone breakthrough of the night.
Stafford was too comfortable for too long and finished with 327 yards and four touchdowns, while the Giants spent most of the game coming close without finishing the job. Through two games, that’s not what this defense was built to do.
There were a couple of bright spots, though. Safety Jevón Holland was the biggest one.
He intercepted Stafford, forced and recovered a fumble, and forced another one in a standout performance. Holland now has three takeaways on the season, including interceptions in back-to-back games, and without him the game could have turned uglier much earlier.
Special teams also held up. Undrafted rookie kicker Dominic Zvada got his first field-goal chances of the season and drilled a 52-yarder after opening with a 24-yard make. Punter Jordan Stout was busy all night and delivered six punts for 315 yards, including a 78-yarder.
But the rest of it was hard to watch. The Giants’ much-talked-about bully-ball approach disappeared after one week, replaced by an offense and defense that got shoved around on both lines. After opening the season with a primetime win over the Dallas Cowboys, the bounce didn’t last long.
New York now gets a short week before hosting the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, with former HC Brian Daboll set for his first return to North Jersey since being fired last season. The Giants will need a much better version of themselves in Week 3.
In Other News...
Giants QB Search Already Hit One Very Public Dead End
The Giants quarterback search has quickly become one of the leagues more watched side stories after Jaxson Darts season-ending knee injury left the team scrambling for answers. Jameis Winston is the current primary option, but the usual swirl of names followed almost immediately, with Shedeur Sanders and Jimmy Garoppolo both surfacing as possible alternatives as New York looks for stability under center.
One of those possibilities, at least publicly, has already gone nowhere. Derek Carr, who retired and has spent his time away from football focusing on personal interests like gaming, has dismissed any notion of a comeback, knocking down the kind of rumor that tends to follow a team when it is searching for help at quarterback. For the Giants, it is a reminder that finding a viable solution may be easier to discuss than to actually secure. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Suddenly Have A Familiar Quarterback Decision To Make
The Giants are back in the market for quarterback help after Jaxson Dart was ruled out for the season with a knee injury, and the timing has quickly turned a familiar name into a possible solution. One of the options being discussed is a trade for Tommy DeVito, now with the New England Patriots, as the team sorts through how to shore up the spot behind its current starter.
DeVito would bring something the Giants value in this kind of emergency, namely NFL reps and some comfort with the organizations overall environment. He has played in 12 games and made eight starts, completing 65.3 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and three interceptions, which is enough to make him a credible backup candidate while the Giants decide how aggressive they want to be. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxson Dart Gave Giants Fans One Reason To Smile This Week
The Giants got a sobering update on Jaxson Dart this week, with the rookie quarterbacks left knee injury serious enough to require surgery and end his 2026 season. The damage includes his MCL, PCL and meniscus, while the ACL remains intact, and head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Dart will miss the regular season as Jameis Winston steps into the starting role.
Even with the long recovery ahead, there was at least one encouraging note for Giants fans to hang onto: Harbaugh said Dart has a slim chance to return if the team reaches the playoffs. It is hardly the kind of news anyone wanted to be discussing after the injury, but in a season suddenly without its young quarterback, even a small opening can feel meaningful. [Read more 🡒]