The New York Giants’ nightmare season continued Sunday with a 16-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium, marking the franchise’s ninth straight defeat.
In a game defined by offensive dysfunction, injuries, and missed opportunities, rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart endured his most difficult outing as a pro, both statistically and emotionally.
After the game, Dart was asked how he has handled the constant losing and how he prevents it from becoming normalized. For a QB who had never experienced prolonged defeat before arriving in the NFL, the adjustment has been jarring.
“It's just a new experience,” said Dart. “I've never been through before and that doesn't make it any easier than what it is and you just try to do your best to stay positive as much as you can. And now there's just a quick turnaround each week so I feel like the times where do you hang on a loss for too long. It goes into, your next game, we prep. So that's kind of just the mentality and process that I've just tried to have.”
Dart’s performance reflected the chaos surrounding him. He finished just 7-of-13 for 33 yards with one interception, while absorbing five sacks behind a decimated offensive line.
The Giants were without Jon Runyan, lost Andrew Thomas mid-game, and later saw John Michael Schmitz injured, leaving Dart under constant pressure against a disguised Vikings defense.
When asked what he took away from the performance itself, Dart offered a blunt response: “Just not let it happen again.”
Interim head coach Mike Kafka acknowledged the challenges Dart faced while also emphasizing growth. Kafka explained that the rookie is still learning how to speed up his processing against aggressive defensive looks.
“As he learns and he sees more of these, the ability to get the ball out just a touch faster use some of those sights, keep his mind clear on it… that’s part of the growth process with it… It’s not just one guy though, we gotta execute better,” said Kafka, via Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports.
The Giants did have moments, including a momentum-shifting strip-sack touchdown by Brian Burns, but mistakes, including a negated pick-six and a failed final drive, proved costly.
With two games remaining against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys, Dart remains one of the few reasons for optimism. The organization’s priority however now is ensuring its rookie quarterback continues developing — without allowing this season’s dysfunction to define his future.
