Giants Show Some Fight - Literally - as Rookie QB Jaxson Dart Takes a Hit and His Teammates Take a Stand
For all the struggles the New York Giants have faced this season - and there have been plenty - one thing became crystal clear in Week 13: Jaxson Dart isn't just another quarterback in a revolving door. He's their quarterback. And his teammates are ready to throw down to prove it.
Late in the loss to the Patriots, Dart took a heavy shot from linebacker Christian Elliss while scrambling toward the sideline. The hit was technically within the rules - Dart was still in bounds - but it didn’t sit well with the Giants' sideline. Especially not with tight end Theo Johnson, who wasted no time making his feelings known.
Johnson, all 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds of him, charged over to Elliss and sparked a sideline scuffle. It wasn’t just a heated moment - it was a message.
And it came with a price tag. The NFL later fined Johnson $6,488 for unnecessary roughness.
But if you ask anyone in that locker room, it was money well spent.
Because that moment? That was bigger than a fine.
Bigger than a single game. In a season where wins have been hard to come by and morale has taken its hits, that flash of emotion showed something the Giants have been missing: unity.
Identity. A reason to believe.
A Locker Room That’s All-In on Dart
Let’s be honest - the Giants haven’t exactly been known for quarterback stability in recent years. It’s been a carousel of stopgaps and hopeful experiments.
But with Dart, something feels different. He’s raw, sure.
Still learning. But he’s got the tools, the toughness, and now, clearly, the trust of the guys in the huddle with him.
Moments like this don’t show up in the box score, but they matter. When a rookie quarterback takes a hit - legal or not - and his teammates immediately go to war for him, that says everything about how they view him.
That’s not just defending a teammate. That’s defending your guy.
And for a franchise that’s been starving for a quarterback worth rallying around, it’s a welcome sign.
Dart’s Next Step: Protecting Himself
Now, let’s flip the coin. Because while it’s great to see the locker room rally behind Dart, the rookie’s got to do his part, too - starting with protecting himself.
Elliss, the linebacker who delivered the hit, didn’t seem to have any ill intent. In fact, he offered some postgame advice that was part jab, part truth: “Slide.”
And he’s not wrong.
Dart’s competitive fire is part of what makes him so intriguing. He’s not afraid to lower his shoulder or fight for that extra yard.
But this is the NFL - not the SEC. The hits are harder, the windows are smaller, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
Especially for a quarterback coming off a concussion that sidelined him for two games.
This was Dart’s first game back since that Week 10 head injury against the Bears. And while he showed flashes of the playmaking ability that made him a first-round pick, he’s got to learn when to live to fight another down.
That means sliding. That means stepping out of bounds a second earlier.
That means understanding that sometimes, self-preservation is the smart play.
Because if the Giants are going to build around him - and signs point to them doing just that - they need him on the field, not in the blue tent.
A Glimmer of Grit in a Gritless Season
There’s no sugarcoating it: this has been a rough year for Big Blue. The offense has sputtered, the defense has bent and broken, and the losses have piled up. But in a season that’s offered more questions than answers, this moment stood out as something real.
A rookie quarterback taking hits and getting back up. A tight end willing to put his wallet on the line to defend him. A sideline that didn’t just watch - it responded.
It might not change the standings. But it might just change the culture.
And for a team that’s been searching for a spark, that’s something worth holding onto.