The New York Giants may have gotten some unexpected help in their quest to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. At least, that's how rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart made it seem after their 29-21 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The league will call it "player safety," but it was pretty obvious the referees were looking out for the G-Men early in the fourth quarter. With 13:46 left to go in the game and down by 15, NY moved the ball down to the Commanders' one-yard line in just over two minutes.
On first and goal from the Washington one, Dart took a designed run nowhere, getting tackled in the backfield for a loss of one. The hit wasn't big or anything like that. The 22-year-old appeared to be just fine, but the officials sent him off the field to be evaluated for a concussion in the blue medical tent.
Jameis Winston came in for the next two snaps, failing to get into the endzone. The 2025 25th overall pick returned for fourth and goal from the four to miss Wan'Dale Robinson to force a turnover on downs. After the game, the rookie signal-caller spoke with reporters, saying he was confused as to why he was taken out:
"I'm not really sure what the reason was I had to come out of the game. It was just weird, I don't understand it"
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) December 14, 2025
Jaxson Dart on being evaluated after taking a hit in today's loss: pic.twitter.com/W8hL51pnYX
Giants’ draft hopes get weird assist from officiating in week 15
Obviously, the best news from the game was that Dart wasn’t actually hurt on the play. He'd missed Weeks 11 and 12 with a concussion and took a heavy hit from Christian Elliss in his return in Week 13.
The former Ole Miss star's health has been at the forefront of conversations all season.
Taking him off the field was a win-win -- no injury and no score. Dart clearly forgot what happened back in 2023, when then-backup (and fan-favorite sensation) Tommy "Cutlets" DeVito led the Giants to three late-season victories, knocking them out of the running for a top pick in the draft.
Those wins cost them a shot at Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye. The refs weren't going to let that happen to this lowly franchise again, and we thank them for their service.
Related: Giants’ franchise-altering loss reshapes the updated 2026 NFL Draft order
With the loss -- their eighth straight and 12th overall -- Big Blue held firmly onto the top pick of the 2026 Draft. A win could have pushed them all the way up to sixth, had things played out differently. Fortunately, the officials saw how effortlessly Dart was moving the offense down the field and decided to step in at the perfect time.
In all seriousness, it's a tough decision whether to try to coach the fearlessness out of him or not. The health concerns are legitimate, and Dart can say there's a league-wide overreaction to his beatings, but taking unnecessary hits has proven to be a losing formula time and again.
If he's going to have a long and successful NFL career, learning how to slide and/or going out of bounds is a must. And if the referees end up playing draft advisor on the Giants’ behalf, while helping protect their quarterback, that might just be the weirdest win all season.