The New York Giants rolled with Russell Wilson as the starter behind center. But rookie Jaxson Dart delivered the more impressive throws against the Buffalo Bills Saturday.
Dart went 12-of-19 for 154 yards with one passing touchdown. The former Ole Miss starter even showed his legs: Adding three carries for 24 yards and averaged eight yards per carry.
Dart helped make fans forget about the failed Daniel Jones experiment. Even Robert Griffin III praised the first-year Giants QB.
The late first round selection created a new buzz in the Big Apple. And sparks these trio of hot takes following the 34-25 victory to open his first NFL Preseason.
Jaxson Dart is poised facing pressure
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Lance Zierlein of the NFL Network wrote down this strength Dart possesses. Which was the fourth one down from his arm and decision-making description.
“Recognizes potential trouble and gets away from it,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation.
That statement became rang true on Saturday. Even renown NFL analyst and former offensive lineman Brian Baldinger noticed his poise.
.@Giants @JaxsonDart had himself a fine debut. He saw a lot , reacted well; made smart decisions; and has NFL talent. Excited to see more. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/Zed5li7r0c
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 10, 2025
Dart completed more than 63% of his throws even when facing the barrage of pressure. He even dropped this touchdown dime facing an oncoming rusher — and still hit Lil’Jordan Humphrey for six.
What a THROW from Jaxson Dart to Lil’Jordan Humphrey for the TD
Dart with his first NFL TD pass.pic.twitter.com/08A1nCy051
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 9, 2025
Pressure left Dart unfazed. Head coach Brian Daboll wasn’t surprised, though, when addressing the media postgame.
“Just about what I thought he would do,” Daboll said. “Efficient, effective, aggressive, confident in the pocket. Some stuff we can work on, but he’s doing good.”
Dart, though, was harder on himself after the Giants’ win.
“I feel like personally, I’m hard on myself. So, in those moments, I want to capitalize on that. Those possessions in those crunch-time situations determine the game,” Dart said. “So, like I said, I feel like I can do a lot more, but I was happy with how the guys played around me.”
Jaxson Dart can lead the Giants
© Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Daboll should sleep better at night now. His quarterback room is more stable than last season. Wilson hands him new assurance on the veteran side.
But Dart gives Daboll even more comfort. With knowing he can lead the offense when Wilson isn’t in.
Dart looked firmly in control of the offense and fired on all cylinders. Daboll and his staff set up the rookie with screens and short timely throws to get him into a zone.
Dart still threw his share of incompletions. Including misfiring on some potential first down conversion throws. Those become common rookie mistakes even in the preseason.
But Dart looked comfortable in the pocket and confident enough to guide the Giants’ huddle. Even general manager Joe Schoen raved about Dart during the broadcast of the contest.
“Jaxson did a good job operating the offense, and I was glad he was able to get the two-minute drill in there in the end,” Schoen said.
This now leads to our biggest take.
Jaxson Dart is in hot pursuit of Russell Wilson’s spot
Yes, it’s just one game. But Dart looked advanced for a new league quarterback. And more impressive than Wilson.
Dart showed no panic, took his lumps, and reignited Daboll’s offense.
A counterargument on Wilson’s side is he nearly completed all of his throws. Going 6-of-7 on the afternoon. However, Wilson settled for just 28 yards. Dart aggressively pushed the football down the field better than Wilson.
Daboll created an offense that took advantage of the howitzer attached to the arm of Josh Allen. He unleashed Allen’s arm and athleticism during Daboll’s offensive coordinator run with the Bills.
Dart gives Daboll a much needed downfield threat behind center. One more impressive August outing and Dart could snatch the starting role from Wilson.
The post 3 hot takes from Jaxson Dart’s impressive preseason debut with Giants appeared first on ClutchPoints.
