If you thought the New York Giants' Week 4 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers would be the best we would see them look all year, you were wrong, as they took down the Eagles 34-17 in primetime on Thursday Night in front of a packed MetLife Stadium crowd.
From the jump, the Giants looked like the more prepared, more explosive team. Jaxson Dart set the tone early with a 20-yard touchdown scramble, and the offense fed off that energy all night. Wan’Dale Robinson shook a defender out of his shoes en route to a 35-yard score, and Cam Skattebo powered his way to three touchdowns — becoming the first Giant to do that on the ground since Ahmad Bradshaw in 2011. Every time the Eagles tried to push back, Big Blue had an answer.
The defense also deserves recognition. It stepped up huge with two Brian Burns sacks, a Cor'Dale Flott interception, and a Dane Belton punch out for a fumble, recovered by Dru Phillips. Although Thursday night consisted of many highs for the Giants on both sides of the ball, it was Dart's postgame quote that left Big Blue fans with even more reasons to smile.
Jaxson Dart makes a 'statement' with emphatic postgame quote
Dart showed out on the field Thursday night, completing 17 of his 25 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. He had plenty of positive things to say about his performance and the outcome in his postgame press conference, discussing the Giants’ identity with a win like this and what it means to be a leader for the franchise.
The rookie signal-caller was asked if he thought this was a statement win for Big Blue, and he replied, “Absolutely,” adding, “You have to have a lot of respect for that team... quite honestly, nobody really expected us to put up a performance like this.”
Dart has been welcomed since the moment he was drafted by the Giants and officially won over the fanbase after his first start two weeks ago. Now that he’s led the team to two wins since Brian Daboll made him the starter, it gives Big Blue Nation even more reason to be excited about the 22-year-old and confident in him as the Giants’ leader.
When asked about being a leader and turning this franchise around, Dart replied, “I understand that the most important thing for everybody is winning. As competitors, that’s how we feel too. I feel like this city is starving for that.”
It’s clear that the rookie gets it and doesn’t face the pressure that many other first-year quarterbacks would—and the results have shown on the field. He also says the right things off the field and is very likable among the fans and media. The Giants are thrilled to have Dart on their sideline and will celebrate their first win over an NFC East rival in two years, led by their rookie quarterback.