The New York Giants started their 2026 season with a bang, defeating their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, 28-20. There were plenty of positive takeaways from the victory, but perhaps none more important than the play of second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Big Blue is expecting big things from Dart in his second season after he showed plenty of promise as a rookie. In Week 1, he looked confident, poised, and capable of making the plays the Giants will need from their quarterback. If this performance is any indication, Dart could be on his way to establishing himself as the franchise quarterback New York has been searching for.
Dart Delivered on Primetime
Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 54 rushing yards on 11 attempts, maintaining the dual-threat ability he showed as a rookie. When he ran, he protected himself by sliding or going out of bounds. Since training camp began, the players and coaching staff have wanted him to avoid unnecessary contact on his scrambles. Head coach John Harbaugh even applauded the young quarterback for sliding during practice.
The Giants need Dart to stay healthy all season. It was encouraging to see him listen to the coaches and avoid the same mistakes he made as a rookie.
Additionally, we finally got to see Dart play with his number one wide receiver, Malik Nabers. In Dart’s first career start last season, Nabers went down with a torn ACL. The two of them didn’t get to play a full game together. The third-year receiver was questionable heading into Sunday’s game, but he ended up playing. In just their second game, they connected on multiple passes.
Nabers caught six of his nine targets for 69 yards. He and Dart looked to be on the same page despite not having played much together. Dart spoke highly of his top playmaker in his post-game press conference. ” He’s just a guy who, no matter what the coverage is, no matter who they put out there on him, you have all the confidence in the world that he’s going to make a play. I’m so happy that he was able to come back and have a game like this where he was just able to play really, really efficient and good football. ”
If Nabers can stay healthy for the full season, the sky is the limit for Dart and this Giants offense.
He May Have a New Favorite Target
Dart also connected with his new tight end, Isaiah Likely. Two of his three touchdowns went to the former Raven. Dart and Likely had a great rapport during training camp, and that carried over to Week 1. The two connected on multiple third downs to keep possessions alive and keep Dallas’ offense off the field.
Likely wasn’t surprised that he already has strong chemistry with his new quarterback. “When you spend hours of film watching, talking ball all the time on and off the field. Just trying to keep it mellow, keep the talking to a minimum, and just letting your talent shine. We’ve been practicing day in, day out since training camp to getting out there and finally showing the world what we’ve been practicing.”
Likely was signed to a big three-year, $40 million contract in the offseason. He will continue to play a vital role in the offense. Coach Harbaugh brought him over from Baltimore, and he is expecting a huge year from the young tight end. With Nabers and Likely, Dart has two dynamic pass-catchers he can rely on to make explosive plays throughout the season.
It was Dart’s first regular-season game with new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Dart did not look uncomfortable in the new scheme. “I felt very comfortable. We just did a really good job of staying in progress throughout the game, whether it was the run game, whether it was the pass game. I thought Nags called an awesome game, and I thought the guys just played really, really hard. So, it made my job a lot easier, and guys all over the place made a ton of plays, so I’m excited about that.”
Dart Needs To Continue This Level of Play
As the season progresses, Dart should become more comfortable in Nagy’s scheme. He will also continue building rapport with his receivers and tight ends. Sunday night was a great first showing, but the Giants need him to play like that the entire season. Most importantly, New York needs him to protect himself and stay on the field for 17 games.
If Dart can make the second-year leap, this Giants team will be in position to win a lot of games in 2026. Sunday night against the Cowboys was certainly a great first showing. Big Blue is hoping he can do it again next week and beyond if they want to accomplish their goal of making the postseason.
He made a great impression on his new head coach. Harbaugh really liked what he saw from the young signal caller. ” I thought Jaxson did a great job of managing that because there’s a lot for him to manage. And then making the plays, he made some throws, man. Some of the throws, like to Likely on the sideline, some of those throws were just pinpoint-accurate type throws. It was a great performance by Jaxson. ”
That is great to hear from the head coach, who believed in Dart as soon as he was hired by the Giants. It was only one game, but Dart showed he has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL.
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