Jaxson Dart’s Monday night ended with a hit that looked ugly in real time and even worse on replay.
The Giants quarterback was injured midway through the first quarter against the Rams when Byron Young came in high and sent Dart into Josaiah Stewart. Stewart’s leg then caught Dart’s left knee, and the knee bent awkwardly as he went down. The slow-motion clips spread fast, and Dart had to be helped up before limping off under his own power.
Jameis Winston entered at quarterback on New York’s next possession.
Dr. David Chao, the longtime NFL team physician who posts injury breakdowns as ProFootballDoc, weighed in shortly after the play and called it a “scary start to #MNF” before adding that it’s “never good when QB clutches lead leg.”
Chao said the encouraging part is that he doubts Dart suffered an ACL tear, which would usually wipe out the season. But he pointed to an MCL sprain as the more likely issue based on the replay.
That matters because an ACL tear often means surgery and a recovery that runs into next year, while an MCL sprain can sideline a quarterback anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. Chao also suggested Dart would likely need a brace and limited mobility in the short term.
The injury adds another chapter to a rough health run for Dart 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 been open about how frustrating those repeated evaluations have been. During the preseason this year, he 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 after another hard shot.
This time it wasn’t a head injury, but the scene was still alarming enough to land among the scarier moments of Dart’s young career. New York has leaned on his mobility and arm talent to shape the offense this season, so any extended absence would force the Giants to adjust. Winston at least gives them an experienced backup, and his resume includes a career-high 33 touchdown passes in a single season.
Even so, losing Dart this soon after a season-opening win would make the road ahead a lot more complicated for New York.
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