The last time we saw the New York Giants in action was nearly two weeks ago, and things ended in disaster against the Patriots. The Giants lost by three scores, and despite Jaxson Dart making his return from concussion protocol, the first-round rookie was getting lit up all game long in Week 13.
He was taking abuse from defenders all night long, but the worst hit came when Christian Elliss delivered a brutal blow right by the sideline in the first quarter. But that didn't stop interim offensive coordinator Tim Kelly from holding his QB accountable for failing to get out of bounds beforehand.
#NYGiants Kelly on pats hit on dart - it was clean and he has to get out of bounds....legs are part of his game - must learn when to say when and duck out of bounds...thinks message is becoming clearer....scheme that night didnt require many planned qb runs
— GiantsWFAN (@giantswfan) December 11, 2025
Some fans deemed Elliss' hit dirty, but Kelly feels otherwise. He isn't protecting his franchise QB because he knows that regardless of whether not the play was a cheap shot, the only person who is able to protect Dart from getting hit like that is himself, and his recklessness is becoming a red flag.
Tim Kelly admits Jaxson Dart needs to better utilize his mobility to protect himself
Dating back to the preseason, the 22-year-old has been placed in concussion protocol four times in his rookie season. His return to the lineup on primetime came after missing back-to-back starts due to a concussion, but he's failed to learn the most important lesson mobile QBs need to learn.
The reason why Josh Allen has been so successful with that same skillset is that he makes a concerted effort to keep himself out of harm's way. There's a reason no quarterback has more career rushing touchdowns than him, so the Ole Miss product needs to take a page out of his playbook.
The more unfortunate part is that Kelly admitted that interim head coach Mike Kafka's game plan against the Patriots didn't account for a lot of designed quarterback runs. And against a defense that has been among the best in the NFL at stopping the run this season, it's hard not to see where he's coming from.
The 39-year-old OC hasn't been in his post for very long, but even he knows Dart needs to use the sideline to his advantage. Coming out of college, fans liked to see his fiery personality and willingness to absorb contact, but now that he's impressing this year, all they want to do is see him stay healthy.
He's looked like an Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner when he plays, and that's been done without two of his top weapons. So as long as he listens to Kelly's message and starts learning when to get out of bounds, it will make Giants fans rest much easier.