Oh, how the New York Giants are crowing now. And their rookie running back is getting loud with his performances. But remember, the Giants are 2-4. Still, they have found their future in the Jaxson Dart-Cam Skattebo duo.
Skattebo ran for three scores, while Dart had one rushing and another passing as the Giants beat up on the Eagles, 34-17, on Thursday Night Football.
The result left little doubt about two things. The Eagles’ crown is unsteady and dangling off the side of their head. Second, the Giants are an up-and-coming team. But let’s pump the brakes before we crown them.
Giants’ duo shows a bright future
Let’s give credit where credit is due. Dart looked fantastic against the Eagles. Skattebo appeared to be unstoppable. This didn’t come off the way NFL “experts” predicted. And Dart acknowledged the surprise, according to ESPN.
“Quite honestly, nobody really expected us to put up a performance like this,” said Dart, who was 17 of 25 for 195 yards passing and had 13 carries for 58 yards. “We felt confident. We just tried to play hard for each other. We’re not trying to make statements. We’re just trying to play for each other and win games.”
Certainly, the win relieved some tension about head coach Brian Daboll’s job security. He will almost surely remain as the team’s head coach as long as the Dart-Skattebo tandem seems to be headed in the right direction.
“You go through some tough times,” Daboll said. “Sometimes you can get stronger from it, or sometimes you can fold. I like our guys. These young players, I have a lot of confidence in these young players. These rookies. They have the right mindset. They’re tough.
“We know that everybody’s going to rally around each other the more that we have performances like this.”
Let’s look closer at QB Jaxson Dart
This wasn’t your average rookie performance. The final numbers aren’t shocking, but the way Dart performed could be labeled as such.
He threw passes with confidence. Yes, he threw into danger on a few occasions and got away with it. On another night, those might not work out for him. But there’s no doubting this young man’s confidence.
Also, he avoided pressure and sacks like a grizzled veteran. And when he got loose, he made plays with his legs.
This is the comparison some people will rush to, so it needs to be said with caution and fairness to Dart. But from an overall body of work so far, he looks like this year’s Jayden Daniels.
Certainly, he already has a statement win, according to ESPN.
“Yeah, I mean, it absolutely is [a statement] because you have to have a lot of respect for that team. They just came off winning the Super Bowl. Top team in the league,” Dart said after throwing and running for a touchdown in his second win in three starts. “Quite honestly, nobody really expected us to put up a performance like this. As a locker room, as teammates, we felt confident. We just try to play hard for each other. We're not trying to make statements. We're just trying to play for each other and win games. We want to find an identity. I felt like we did a good job of putting that a little bit together tonight.”
QB Jaxson Dart pointing to a better Giants future
Dart said he wants his teammates, fans, and the Giants’ organization to look in a new direction.
“I just think there's, at times, some negativity that's surrounding here,” Dart said. “For us, some of the new guys that are coming here, we just got here, so we don't feel like we were involved in the past. We've got a lot of winners on this team, guys who come out every single day, work their ass off to put on a good showing on Sundays.
“I feel like we're just connected. We just had some games, times and moments, where it hasn't gone our way. We do feel like we're a really good team, we have really good players. We're just trying to win games. We're just trying to stay internal and stay connected each and every day.”
What about RB Cam Skattebo?
This guy is a beast. He reminds me of former Tampa Bay running back Mike Alstott, who jolted defenders for 11 years from 1996-2006.
The difference is that Skattebo has a higher yardage ceiling. Alstott, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, never had a 1,000-yard season. Skattebo may do it as a rookie. He’s on pace right now, even with limited carries in Week 1.
And the players like Skattebo, according to giants.com.
“He's just a good teammate, plays with a high amount of I'd say, energy, toughness,” Daboll said. “Certainly people can feed off that, so … ”
And Skattebo enjoyed the way things played out Thursday night.
“It was fun,” Skattebo said. “I caused myself a penalty that took some yards away from me. I saw that I broke the hundred-yard mark. But we played hard, and props to the guys up front for all the effort they gave me and this team. They battled until the end, and that's what matters.”
And Skattebo’s battering-ram style makes the Giants harder to defend in the red zone.
“We fixed the red zone a little bit the last two weeks, and last week we kind of just handed the ball over,” Skattebo said. “So we killed ourselves there and shot ourselves in the foot, but this week we proved that we fixed it a little bit. And we're going to continue what we can, the best we can, at the crucial times in the game.”
