ESPN college football analyst and commentator Kirk Herbstreit offered strong praise for New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart following the team’s Week 6 Thursday Night Football victory over the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants’ 34-17 win marked one of their most impressive performances of the season and further solidified Dart’s growing influence on the franchise.

In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Herbstreit detailed the energy and belief Dart has brought to the team since becoming the starter.

“Bro they helped the defense get better. All of a sudden, Brian Daboll is a great coach, the concession team did a better job, parking out front did a better job. This dude affected everybody,” Herbstreit said.

“I was walking out with everybody and we walked by a couple of these older ushers in the area where the booth was and I said, ‘hey, man, how long have you been here doing this job?’ and he’s like 40 years. I said when was the last time cause I don’t get here a lot, when was the last time the Giants had a home game with this kind of juice, this kind of vibe? And he said, ‘honestly, Daboll’s first year they made the playoffs’ and he goes, ‘but I haven’t seen or felt that in decades’. Think about that and that’s a guy who’s at every game. I said it during the broadcast, sometimes we get caught up in quarterbacks and the X’s and O’s and he could make this throw. This is an example of a guy impacting the entire franchise because of his belief. You can call it the it factor, you can call it confidence – clearly making quick decisions, very well prepared, but he’s got an aura around him.”

Jaxson Dart’s leadership fuels Giants’ momentum after Week 6 win over Eagles

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Herbstreit continued, emphasizing how Dart’s leadership has revitalized interest in watching the Giants.

“These guys have gone from like nobody wants to watch them to now, I don’t know about you, but I want to watch the Giants next week,” Herbstreit said. “They were up 14-3 on the Saints last week and five straight turnovers… this team could very easily be 3-0 with this combination of Dart and Skattebo. So a lot of fun. And for Philly, it’s like, holy cow, now what? They already felt like the sky was falling before this game and now you lose this one, you’re still 4-2 but that’s a tough night for that city – to lose to the Dodgers to clinch the NCLS for LA and lose this game 34-17, it’s gotta be one of the darkest nights for Philly in a long time.”

Dart, a rookie out of Ole Miss, posted one of his best performances yet in the win. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 58 yards and another score. His dual-threat ability helped the Giants maintain control throughout the game, handing the Eagles their second loss of the season.

Through three starts, Dart has totaled 508 passing yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 65.6% of his passes. He has also added 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.

The Giants, now 2-4, have begun to show flashes of cohesion under the leadership of Dart and fellow rookie running back Cam Skattebo, who recorded three rushing touchdowns in the win over Philadelphia. The team will look to continue its recent momentum when it faces the Denver Broncos (3-2) on the road in Week 7. Kickoff is set for Sunday, October 19, at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.