EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Rookie defenseman Jackson Dart looked through New York Giants' 34-17 defeat the current champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium as a statement.
It snapped the Giants' eight-game losing streak in the NFC East and marked their first win over the defending Super Bowl champion since defeating the Super Bowl champion. Denver Broncos in week 15 of the 1998 season. Message received.
“Yeah, I mean, it absolutely is. [a statement] because you have to have a lot of respect for this team. They just won the Super Bowl. Best team in the league,” Dart said after throwing and running for a touchdown in his second win in three starts. “To be honest, no one expected us to show such a game. As a locker room, as teammates, we felt confident. We just try to play hard for each other. We're not trying to make a statement. We're just trying to play for each other and win games. We want to find an identity. I felt like we did a good job of putting that together tonight.”
The Giants (2-4) followed the lead of Dart and his fellow rookie. Cam Tax Bo. Dart completed 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards and rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries. He became just the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to rush for at least 50 yards in each of his first three starts, joining the Baltimore team. Lamar Jackson and Philadelphia Jalen Hurts.
Skattebo scored three rushing touchdowns and finished with 98 yards on 19 carries.
Dart was among several Giants players who mentioned the recent negativity surrounding the team. Defense Captain Brian Burns said it was impossible to ignore.
The Giants were more than just underdogs heading into Thursday night's game. They haven't won an NFC East game since the 2023 season finale and suffered a disappointing loss to the Saints.
This group wants to change the narrative. This was discussed by Dart and Skattebo.
“I just think there’s some negativity out there sometimes,” Dart said. “For us, some of the new guys that are coming here, we just got here, so we don’t feel like we’ve been involved in the past. We have a lot of winners on our team, guys that come out every single day and work their butts off to do well on Sunday.”
“I feel like we're just connected. We just had a few games and moments and moments where things didn't go the way we wanted. We really feel like we're a really good team, we have really good players. We're just trying to win games. We’re just trying to stay within ourselves and stay connected every day.”
Their performance in Thursday night's win could help change the perception of the Giants, who went 3-14 last season.
“One hundred percent”, correct tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said. “I think it shows the whole league what we can do.”
The Giants have lost seven of their last eight games to the Eagles. New York's last division win came against Philadelphia in Week 17 of the 2023 season.
Brian Daboll has improved to 5-16-1 against division opponents since taking over as coach ahead of the 2022 campaign. But he was happy about the victory. Any victory.
“Winning feels good,” Daboll said. “A lot of coaches are sleeping in their offices this week. I appreciate these guys. They put a lot into it, like they do every week. The players put a lot into it. We had a lot of runs. I'm just happy for those guys that put so much into it to try to get the result that we all want.”
This season's Giants seem to be a little different from previous versions. This has been evident since Dart became a starter, with Skattebo's role increasing with each passing week. They gave energy and new life. Dart quickly became the leader, the heart of the operation.
Nothing surprises Daboll, who was enamored with Dart during the draft and ever since.
“I don't know. I’ve loved everything about Dart since we got him,” Daboll said. “Again, he's not perfect. It won't be perfect no matter what it is. But he has toughness, I think he sees the field well, he has athleticism, vision, leadership.”
“But it's three games; 2-1 as the starting quarterback. But there's work to be done. He'll be the first to tell you that. He's a leader.”
The leader of a team that showed the rest of the NFL that he was dangerous to say the least as a quarterback.
