The New York Giants began a new era on Sunday afternoon, and that was the Jaxson Dart one. After starting off the season 0-3, head coach Brian Daboll made the decision to bench Russell Wilson in favor of Dart, and let it be known that the decision was solely his. Dart was hand-picked by Daboll to be his quarterback, and his job hangs in the balance on how the rookie performs, fair or not.
On Sunday, Dart helped lead the Giants to a 21-18 upset win over the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers, who boasted one of the best defenses in all of football. Dart looked poised throughout the game, as he scored two touchdowns, a 15-yard carry of his own and a three-year shovel pass to tight end Theo Johnson.
Jaxson Dart drops awesome NY Giants quote after stunning Chargers in QB1 debut
After the defense held their end of the bargain at the end of the game, CBS cameras caught Dart and Daboll celebrating the victory. Daboll was all kinds of fired up.
Jaxson Dart gets the win in his first career start! pic.twitter.com/J8xHe988y2
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Brian Daboll was fired up after Jaxson Dart's first win in Giants debut
That was the look of a coach that put all of his eggs into the Dart basket. It was no secret that Daboll was looking for his quarterback after starting his coaching career with Daniel Jones. While it felt as though the Giants were leaning towards Shedeur Sanders early on, Daboll became enamored by Dart in the pre-draft process and ultimately had general manager Joe Schoen trade back into the first round to take him.
One start, one win for Dart.
After the game, Daboll heaped tons of praise onto Dart. Daboll said that while the game was far from perfect, not that he was expecting it to be, he said, "I'm glad we got him."
"Tough opponent, 3-0 team with a pretty good defense. Thought he made good decisions, ran the ball well...but I think the young man played well within himself and made a huge play when he needed to to steal that third down play. Happy we got him," said Daboll.
Additionally, Daboll gave a ton of credit for Dart's role in the victory.
Brian Daboll on the win: “It says a lot about our guys, says a lot about 6.”
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) September 28, 2025
Daboll continued with the praise. Dart took a lot of hits, especially as he carried the ball 10 times for 54 yards, while getting sacked five times. Dart was even spotted grabbing his hamstring early in the game, but he remained out there. Daboll called Dart a "tough son of a you know what."
As for what he said to Dart during the celebration, Daboll said "great f***ing win."
Dart finished the game completing 13-of-20 pass attempts for 111 yards and a touchdown. Again, not the most mind-melting statistics, but Dart did just enough to pick up the win.
This game was a rollercoaster of emotions for Giants fans. They watched Dart's touchdown run to start the game. Fans held their breath after seeing star receiver Malik Nabers get carted off the field with an apparent torn ACL. But, the team held on to pick up their first win of the season.
Next up on the schedule for Dart and Daboll are the winless New Orleans Saints.