INGLEWOOD, Calif. — New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee based on initial exams, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported late Monday night. Dart left a 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on his team’s first series.
Dart’s X-rays were negative, and he is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday, according to the report. Rapoport wrote that Dart is “expected to miss some time, though in general, positive news.”
Wide receiver Malik Nabers hurt his right shoulder later in the first quarter but came back in the second. Eight days earlier, Dart threw 3 touchdown passes in a 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. It was the first game of Giants coach John Harbaugh’s tenure.
Dart was pressured on third-and-8 with 11:20 left in the first quarter, according to The Associated Press’ Dan Greenspan. Rams linebacker Byron Young hit him from the right side and sent him into linebacker Josaiah Stewart, who undercut Dart’s legs, and Dart landed hard on the turf. The pass fell incomplete, and New York punted on the next play.
Dart walked to the sideline under his own power and went straight into the medical tent. He later walked to the locker room with a limp. The Giants first listed him as questionable to return, then ruled him out shortly after halftime. He finished 3-of-5 passing for 20 yards.
Laura Rutledge was stationed near the tunnel as ESPN’s sideline reporter when the Giants ruled Dart out, and she relayed the news on the broadcast.
“The Giants just told me that quarterback Jaxson Dart is officially ruled out of this game,” Rutledge said. “This just happened in the tunnel, actually. I witnessed one of the athletic training staff members going up to another staff member and saying, ‘They just took his uniform.’”
“Another comment I wanted to provide for you guys is that Joe Schoen, the GM of the Giants, just walked past me,” Rutledge continued. “His quote to me was, ‘He’s going to be OK.’ They’re still finding more information. He did receive X-rays, though, here at the stadium.”
Jameis Winston Takes Over, Malik Nabers Returns
Jameis Winston replaced Dart after the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out on the Rams’ ensuing possession. Winston went 4-of-12 for 58 yards in the first half, and his interception went straight to Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie in the end zone.
Before he played quarterback at Florida State, Winston was taken by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Hueytown High School in Alabama. He spent five seasons with Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers drafted him first overall in 2015, then played for New Orleans and Cleveland before signing with the Giants. In three appearances for New York last season, he made two starts and threw for 567 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Nabers got hurt with one second left in the first quarter, jockeying with McDuffie near the sideline on a first-down target. He grabbed his right shoulder and ran to the bench, where multiple trainers examined him. Nabers worked with a trainer, lifting and flexing the arm, as New York fell behind 14-0. He missed a series and returned in the second quarter.
The last time the Giants played at AT&T Stadium, on Sept. 14, 2025, Nabers caught 9 passes for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 40-37 overtime loss. Two weeks later he tore the ACL in his right knee against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he did not play again that season.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, a graduate of Highland Park High School in Dallas, threw 4 touchdown passes. He moved into sixth place on the NFL’s career passing touchdowns list. Los Angeles improved to 2-0, and New York fell to 1-1.
Jaxson Dart’s Two Starts Against The Dallas Cowboys
Against Dallas on Sept. 13, Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Giants outrushed the Cowboys 165-69 that night.
Nabers caught 6 passes for 69 yards in that game, his first since the ACL tear. He had entered the night as the only Giants player carrying a game designation on the final injury report.
“Well, I didn’t really want to ask for a while,” Dart said after the win. “So, I was just watching him during the warm-ups, and I was trying to keep my distance.”
“And then I saw him give one little nod before he came in and did routes on air, and then I went over and told (Giants quarterback) Jameis (Winston) that I think Uno’s (Nabers) playing, and I was just ecstatic from that point on,” Dart continued.
Dart has won both of his starts against Dallas. In the 2025 season finale on Jan. 4, he went 22-of-32 with 2 touchdown passes in a 34-17 win in East Rutherford, N.J. His first NFL snap also came against the Cowboys, in the fourth quarter of the 40-37 overtime game in Arlington in September 2025.
The Giants drafted Dart 25th overall in 2025 out of Ole Miss. As a rookie, he played in 14 games with 12 starts and missed time after a concussion in a Week 10 game against Chicago. He threw for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and ran for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Dallas evened its record at 1-1 on Sunday with a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. In that game, Dak Prescott threw 4 touchdown passes to break the franchise’s career record of 248. The Cowboys host the Giants in Week 17 on Sunday, Jan. 3, at noon CT on FOX. New York has not won at AT&T Stadium since Prescott’s rookie season in 2016. Before that, Dallas plays the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
