The Giants.com crew members give their takeaways from Thursday Night Football and what the win means going forward.
John Schmeelk: When Malik Nabers got hurt against the Chargers, the question everyone was asking was how the Giants were going to not only make up his numerical production, but how they would replace his ability to make plays above the X’s and O’s. With a rookie quarterback, the Giants playmakers were going to have to help him to get the most out of his opportunities in Week 6.
It happened against the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. On the Giants’ first drive of the game, in his first game on the gameday roster this season, Lil’Jordan Humphrey won a jump ball against Kelee Ringo. It was a pass Dart threw high up in the air, betting on his receiver to make a play, and Humphrey came down with the football. Three plays later, Jaxson Dart made a play of his own, juking All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun (who was spying him) in the open field to turn a short gain on a 3rd and 8 scramble into a 20-yard touchdown run.
On the Giants’ next possession, Dart used his legs to buy time and complete a pass to Wan’Dale Robinson for a 12-yard gain. But the play didn’t end there because Robinson broke Andrew Mukuba’s tackle attempt and ran 24 yards for a touchdown. Neither throw by Dart was a perfect down field strike hitting someone between the numbers in stride, but the box score shows two 30+ yard completions because the receivers created big plays.
Dart also needs credit for his role in plays throughout the game, many of which might have been short gains or even incomplete passes. They should still be considered plays above the X’s and O’s because of the way he used his legs to avoid a sack and a big loss on a play, when other quarterbacks might not have been capable of doing it. His ability to avoid big losses against the Eagles, even if they just turned into a one-yard loss or an incomplete pass, was critical to winning the game.
Dart’s mobility has really played up against the superior athletes of the National Football League. It is very difficult for pure pocket passers to succeed early in their NFL careers because playing quarterback in the NFL is so much more difficult than it is in college. The defenses do a lot more and quarterbacks struggle to quickly learn how to read defenses, get through their progressions, find the open man and deliver the ball accurately in under three seconds. It takes time to learn the art of playing quarterback in the NFL, and it can look ugly as players try to do it.
Being mobile, however, can buy a quarterback time and make them successful while they are still learning the finer points of the position. We saw that the first couple seasons of Josh Allen’s and Lamar Jackson’s careers, as they relied more on their legs as they developed as passers. That’s what we are seeing Jaxson Dart do now with the “loose plays” that Brian Daboll talks about in his press conferences. Dart figures out a way to avoid poor plays and create big ones because of his athleticism, creativity, and playmaking. If and when he eventually combines those natural skills with a more developed quarterbacking feel, he could be a very dangerous quarterback in the NFL. In the mean time he will continue to rely on his receivers, tight ends and running backs to make plays for him and help the offense score points.