The New York Giants suffered their eighth loss in a row -- 12th overall on the season -- this past Sunday in a 29-21 Week 15 loss to the Washington Commanders. For fans wanting a bit more behind-the-scenes action, HBO's documentary series, Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East, featured Washington's preparations leading up to the game in its latest episode.
‘Merciless’ might not even cut it when describing how Dan Quinn and the Commanders talked about Jaxson Dart and his play style. It was ruthless, it was brutal, and it should scare the living you-know-what out of Giants fans.
The 22-year-old's tendency to fight for every yard has made it a free-for-all on the young signal-caller. His stubbornness to go out of bounds and unwillingness to slide continuously put him in precarious injury situations. He was sent to the medical tent again to be evaluated for another concussion -- his fifth time in 10 games (including preseason).
Commanders expose brutal truth about Jaxson Dart’s play style on Hard Knocks
The scariest part about it all is that the league is clearly onto the 2025 25th overall pick. They see a reckless rookie who's unable to weigh the risks of when to push it and when to let up. That was all but shouted from the rooftop by Quinn, who essentially told his defense to treat him like a running back and light him up:
“The last piece, QB, when he’s [Dart] out here, he is a running back first. This is a good hit by [Christian] Elliss (NE Patriots linebacker) on the sideline, alright. He is not looking to go down and get in the slide. We got to go out hitting, fellas.”
Commanders' defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. echoed a similar sentiment, reiterating to his defense that he doesn't really go out of bounds or slide all that often and to play opportunistically. That's a bit of a nightmare.
For Giants fans hoping this is a wake-up call for their franchise cornerstone, interim head coach Mike Kafka's postgame comments confirmed he won't change the way he asks Dart to play. And Dart also complained to the media about being treated differently, and also repeated his displeasure with the narrative, and won't change the way he plays, either.
Now that's a full-blown nightmare.
All things considered, the Star Wars-loving signal-caller played pretty well. He finished the game, completing 20-of-36 passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also added 63 yards on nine carries on the ground.
It's clear as day that Dart is the prince that was promised -- he's the hero NY deserves and the one it needs right now (and the next decade-plus). However, if he can't stay healthy, all of that hope and excitement goes up in flames. If Quinn and the Commanders are happily airing this on television, it's a safe bet that just about every other team has similar feelings.
If anything was going to knock him off his spot, this might be it. It's time for the fearless rookie to start thinking more long-term.