Jaxson Dart’s Monday night ended with a play that looked bad in real time and looked even worse on replay.
The Giants quarterback was hurt midway through the first quarter when Rams defender Byron Young came in high and drove him into Josaiah Stewart. Stewart’s leg then hit Dart’s left knee, and the knee bent awkwardly as he went down.
Dart needed help getting up, then limped off under his own power. Jameis Winston came on for New York’s next possession.
One of the first outside reads came from Dr. David Chao, the longtime NFL team physician who posts injury breakdowns as ProFootballDoc. Chao called it a “scary start to #MNF” and said it’s “never good when QB clutches lead leg.”
His initial view offered a sliver of relief, but not much. Chao said he doubts the injury is an ACL tear, the kind of diagnosis that usually wipes out a season.
Instead, he pointed to an MCL sprain as the more likely outcome based on the replay. That matters because an MCL injury can mean anything from a few weeks out to a couple of months on the sideline, and Chao suggested Dart would probably need a brace and limited mobility in the short term.
Dart’s injury history has already become part of the conversation in New York. Last year, the second-year quarterback dealt with an ankle sprain, hamstring tightness and four separate trips through the concussion protocol.
He has spoken openly about how often those checks have piled up. During the preseason earlier this year, Dart said he was “still puzzled by it just feeling like every time that I get hit, I find my way in there,” referring to the medical tent.
This one was different from the head issues, but it still had the look of a major problem. The contact came fast, the knee turned at a bad angle, and the reaction from fans and analysts followed immediately.
The Giants have built their offense around Dart’s mobility and arm talent this season, so any missed time would force changes. Winston gives them a proven option if Dart is out, and his resume includes a career-best 33 touchdown passes in a single season. Even so, losing a starting quarterback days after a season-opening win creates a difficult spot for New York as it heads into a tough stretch.
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