Jaxson Dart and the Giants didn’t just earn a win with Thursday night’s 34-17 upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
They earned respect.
The Giants (2-4), under Brian Daboll, regrouped after their chaotic loss last Sunday against New Orleans, taking command against last year’s Super Bowl champions with an impressive prime-time showcase from their rookie quarterback and a strong defensive effort.
Rookie QB Dart connected on 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards, earning one passing touchdown, and added 58 yards on the ground with a rushing score. Fellow rookie Cam Skattebo rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Brian Burns contributed two sacks. The Giants’ defense effectively silenced Philadelphia’s offense, completely containing Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and their teammates in the second half.
Crucially, cornerback Cor’Dale Flott intercepted a pass from Hurts and returned it 68 yards into Eagles’ territory with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter and a 27-17 lead, effectively sealing the deal for the Giants against the faltering Eagles (4-2).
The turnover allowed Skattebo to add another touchdown, pushing the margin to 17 points. Subsequently, safety Dane Belton forced a fumble from A.J. Dillon, and Dru Phillips secured the recovery to clinch the victory.
This victory snapped the Giants’ eight-game skid within the NFC East and marked their first win against the Eagles since the final week of the 2023 NFL season, when Tyrod Taylor and Barkley outperformed Philly for a commanding 27-10 triumph on January 7, 2024.
Dart, improving to a 2-1 start, had to pass concussion protocol clearance twice in his first three games. He was hit by the Eagles’ Patrick Johnson and Azeez Ojulari late in the third quarter, missing two plays. During his brief absence, Russell Wilson stepped in but his incomplete pass resulted in a Giants punt.
But Dart returned to cheers from the crowd after Daboll urged the doctors to complete their process with his QB and finished what he started.
It was an impressive performance regardless of the Eagles playing without injured star defensive tackle Jalen Carter (heel) and top corner Quinyon Mitchell (hamstring), who left the game early in the first half. After all, the Giants are playing without top receiver Malik Nabers (torn ACL) the rest of the season and also had to go without No. 2 wideout Darius Slayton (hamstring) against the Eagles.
Dart most notably converted 11 of 15 third downs (73.3%) against the Eagles’ defense. Giants center John Michael Schmitz left the game in the second half with a concussion, but backup Austin Schlottmann filled in.
Hurts had an opportunity early in the third quarter to hit a wide open DeVonta Smith for a deep touchdown to snatch the momentum back from the Giants’ excited home crowd, but he overthrew Smith incomplete. And the Giants defense didn’t give him another chance to exploit them after that.
Daboll’s team now gets to heal up on a 10-day break before traveling to Denver in Week 7 to take on the Broncos.
The Giants led, 20-17, at halftime. Dart directed touchdown drives on three of New York’s four possessions in the half, converting 5-of-6 third downs with his arm and legs.
The rookie’s most important moment of the half was a 15-play, 67-yard scoring drive capped by a 4-yard Skattebo touchdown run with 1:19 remaining.
The Eagles had erased an early Giants 10-point lead to go ahead, 17-13, on four straight Hurts Tush Push runs across the goal line with 6:56 to play.
But Dart converted two big third down completions to veteran receiver Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, in his Giants debut off the practice squad, and to Jalin Hyatt — whose 3rd and 4 reception marked his first catch of the season.
The Eagles used all their timeouts to preserve time. Skattebo scored for the 20-17 lead, and the clock ran out on Hurts and Philly’s offense before they could get into field goal range for the tie.
Leading at half was important for the Giants, because they’d squandered a double-digit early lead for a second straight week.
Dart directed consecutive touchdown drives on the Giants’ opening two possessions for the second game in a row. But the Giants had squandered last Sunday’s 14-3 lead with 13:01 remaining in the second quarter in an eventual 26-14 loss.
And on Thursday night, they built a 13-3 lead with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter on a Dart 20-yard touchdown scramble and a 35-yard Dart touchdown pass to Wan’Dale Robinson.
But then Hurts hit Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert for a 3-yard touchdown pass, and the Eagles quarterback scored his rushing TD to put the visitors up with 6:56 remaining.
The difference on Thursday night was that Dart and the Giants responded when adversity struck. Instead of five straight turnovers in their New Orleans meltdown, Dart and the Giants mounted a comeback, took control on both sides of the ball and never looked back.
