Jaxson Dart appeared unflappable in his first NFL start.
The New York Giants rookie quarterback faced a big task with the unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers coming to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, and the Utah native passed the test.
The Giants beat the Chargers 21-18 for New York’s first win this season. In Dart’s first start since replacing veteran Russell Wilson, he avoided any costly turnovers and churned out enough offense to beat Los Angeles.
Dart completed 13 of 20 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 54 yards and a score on 10 carries to complement fellow rookie Cam Skattebo, who ran for 79 yards in the win.
“Obviously, this experience was a special one, it being my first one,” Dart said, according to the team’s website. “I’m just grateful to have the guys around me that I had. I obviously want to give a big shoutout to Russ. I know that this week probably wasn’t the easiest thing, but he handled it like a professional and just was a mentor for me. I just have a ton of respect for him. It goes for Jameis (Winston) as well, just getting me prepared for this week.
“Really just proud of the guys, being able to battle through some adversity throughout the game. It’s not always going to be the cleanest, but I was just happy that we were able to come out with the win.”
Dart’s first possession as QB1 ended in the end zone, as the former Roy High and Corner Canyon High star mixed up the pass and run well before a 15-yard scoring run got New York on the board first.
Dart became the first NFL quarterback in 23 seasons to win his first career start against an opponent that was 3-0 or better — the last time it happened was Marc Bulger with the St. Louis Rams against the 4-0 Oakland Raiders on Oct. 13, 2002.
Under Dart’s leadership, the Giants led 21-10 at one point, after his first career touchdown. Dart flipped a shovel pass to tight end Theo Johnson for a 3-yard score on second-and-goal with 2:49 left in the third quarter.
“There’s nothing about him that’s typical of a rookie. There’s poise. Everyone just rallied behind him — he’s got great energy and everyone’s got a ton of respect for him,” Johnson said of Dart, according to Giants Videos.
The Giants did suffer a big loss in the victory, though, one that will likely impact the team for the remainder of the season. With just over six minutes left in the second quarter, second-year star receiver Malik Nabers suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of the game — he was hurt while attempting to catch a deep pass from Dart.
Early reports indicated that Nabers is feared to have suffered a torn ACL, which would end his season. On Monday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that an MRI confirmed it’s a torn ACL for Nabers.
Despite that big personnel loss, New York thrived Sunday under Dart, converting a season-high seven third downs on 15 attempts.
That included a critical one with under three minutes to play when Dart found and connected with Johnson for a 10-yard gain on third-and-5 to help the Giants run more clock before giving the ball back to Los Angeles with just 18 seconds to play.
“That one was really cool because it was something that we discussed, kind of a change-up, an adjustment on the route,” Dart said of the third-down conversion pass to Johnson. “He was really just supposed to keep running all the way through. I told him, just from film prep and stuff, if you see that middle open, just sit down for me.
“It was kind of a cool moment to see that happen in a big situation like that. We gave each other a little look, and I was really excited to obviously make that play with him.”
The performance has NFL experts talking about what Dart showed in his first game replacing Wilson as the team’s starting quarterback. Here’s a sampling:
What NFL experts said about Jaxson Dart’s first career start
From New York Post’s Steve Serby: “There is nothing more infectious for a football team than when its quarterback is a stone-cold fighter, and it was there for all to see at MetLife Stadium, his offensive linemen and defensive linemen in particular magically playing with the kind of verve and joy and hunger they undoubtedly remember playing with in their first NFL starts, every single Giant rallying around their Quarterback of the Present and Future with every single Giants fan.
“A season left for dead now with new life, lifted to 1-3 and awakened by Jaxson Dart.”
From ESPN’s NFL Nation: “It appears Dart and the Giants will have to move forward without Nabers. The early fear is the star receiver tore the ACL in his right knee, according to a source. An MRI is scheduled for Monday. But Dart managed to do good things in his first career start, and the Giants’ offense looked different with his ability to run. Dart went 13-of-20 for 111 yards with a touchdown. He ran for another 54 yards and a score. They’ll continue to use his legs to create offense without Nabers.”
From USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: “Let’s table aesthetics for a minute. Beyond the bottom line, little about the rookie quarterback’s starting debut was appealing. But the New York Giants turned to Dart looking for some kind of jolt, and it got one with a 21-18 win over the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers. The first-round passer’s production was modest at best — 111 passing yards and 54 more on the ground — with the offense stalling out after a nine-play, 89-yard touchdown march on the opening drive.
“Still, Dart’s running ability changed the complexion of the attack for the better, and he pushed through a hamstring injury as he repeatedly extended plays. Despite taking five sacks, he maintained his composure and didn’t commit any backbreaking errors. The rejuvenation might be short-lived given the costly loss of Malik Nabers to an apparent torn anterior cruciate ligament, but New York at least has something to build on.”
From CBS Sports’ John Breech: “The first start of Jaxson Dart’s career was a memorable one for the Giants. Dart’s numbers won’t wow anyone — he threw for just 111 yards — but he provided a spark that just wasn’t there with Russell Wilson. Dart totaled two touchdowns, including a 3-yard pass to Theo Johnson in the third quarter that provided what ended up being game-winning points. … This was arguably the biggest upset of the NFL season and thanks to this win, this team is going to be playing with a lot more confidence going forward.”
From NFL.com: “New York’s offense looked energized in Jaxson Dart‘s first start. The rookie looked poised early, leading a nine-play, 75-yard drive on the opening possessions, which he capped off with a 15-yard scamper. Dart is the first quarterback since Patrick Mahomes to lead their team to an 80-plus yard TD drive on the first drive of their first career start. The moment didn’t look too big for the first-round pick, who used his legs with aplomb on designed runs and scrambles. His ability to avoid pressure kept the Chargers’ defense off-balance.”
Turnovers x2
Jacksonville linebacker Devin Lloyd (Utah) is making a habit of producing takeaways this season.
On Sunday, that included intercepting San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy twice in the Jaguars’ 26-21 win. The first came in the second quarter and stopped a 49ers drive that had reached Jacksonville territory, and the second one led to a Jaguars field goal that gave them a 20-14 third-quarter lead.
Combined with fumble recovery that Lloyd had a week earlier and an interception the week prior to that, the former Ute already has four takeaways through four weeks.
A career-first interception in style
Buffalo safety Cole Bishop (Utah) had a career first — his first NFL interception — in the Bills’ 31-19 win over New Orleans on Sunday.
The former Ute made a momentum-swinging play with the Saints facing a third-and-goal while trailing 14-10 and a chance to take a lead just before halftime. Bishop got up for a one-handed interception on a trick play, as Chris Olave tried to throw to quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Instead, Bishop, who also had five tackles and a pass deflection, made the interception and the Bills never trailed.
“Huge play,” Buffalo linebacker Terrel Bernard said, according to Sports Illustrated. “That was the first thing I told him — he saved points. They had a field goal that was coming up, possibly a touchdown there. A play that really changed the game.”
Block party
Philadelphia tight end Cameron Latu (Olympus High), a third-round draft pick by San Francisco in 2023, has found himself a spot with the Eagles on special teams.
On Sunday, that included blocking a punt — he got his hand on a Riley Dixon punt just over two minutes into the Eagles’ 31-25 win over Tampa Bay, and teammate Sydney Brown returned the blocked punt 35 yards for the game’s first score.
Latu, who started the year on the team’s practice squad, was promoted this past week, as he signed to the Philadelphia 53-man active roster.
The touchdown club
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love (Utah State) put up his best passing numbers of the season in the Packers’ primetime matchup against Dallas in what ended up a 40-40 tie. In addition to throwing for a season-best 337 yards, Love tossed three touchdowns to no interceptions, with all three scores going to Romeo Doubs.
His 15-yard touchdown pass to Doubs on a third-and-10 with 1:45 left in regulation gave Green Bay a 34-30 lead.
Love’s eight touchdown passes this season tie for third in the NFL, and his 1,000 passing yards are fifth.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (Corner Canyon High, Roy High) accounted for two touchdowns in his first career start in New York’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dart got the Giants on the board first with a 15-yard touchdown run on the team’s opening possession.
He later added his first career touchdown pass, finding tight end Theo Johnson for a 3-yard score late in the third quarter.
Buffalo tight end Dalton Kincaid (Utah) made his only catch of the day count, as he caught a 28-yard touchdown from Josh Allen with 7:07 left in the Bills’ 31-19 victory over New Orleans. That touchdown gave Buffalo a 28-19 lead at the time, extending the lead to a two-score game.
It was Kincaid’s third touchdown of the season, a new single-season career high, and he’s scored in three of the team’s four games so far in 2025.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (BYU and Orem High) scored his first receiving touchdown of the season late in the game in the Rams’ 27-20 win over Indianapolis. With Los Angeles facing a fourth-and-2 and trailing 20-13, Matthew Stafford hit Nacua for the 9-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Atlanta running back Tyler Allgeier (BYU) got into the end zone for the second time this season, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter of the Falcons’ 34-27 victory over Washington. That score gave Atlanta a 31-16 lead at the time.
He also helped set up the team’s field goal later that gave the Falcons a 10-point lead at 34-24.
Team leaders
New Orleans wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (Weber State) led the Saints with four receptions for a team-high 47 yards in the Saints’ loss to Buffalo.
Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner (Utah State) paced the Commanders defense with 10 tackles, including four solo stops and a tackle for loss. He leads the NFL with 42 tackles on the year, tied with Green Bay’s Quay Walker. He has an NFL-best 24 solo stops to go with two sacks on the season.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (BYU and Orem High) grabbed a game-high 13 receptions (on 15 targets) for a regular-season career-best 170 receiving yards, to go along with his touchdown catch in the Rams’ win over the Colts.