EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — An MRI on New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart’s left knee revealed an injury more severe than anticipated, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday. Dart is out for an extended period of time and could miss the rest of the season, according to the report.
Garafolo did not identify the specific injury in his post. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Giants had not announced a diagnosis or a timetable for Dart’s return.
Late Monday night, Rapoport and Garafolo reported that initial exams pointed to a sprained MCL. Dart’s X-rays at SoFi Stadium came back negative. In that post, Rapoport wrote that Dart was “expected to miss some time, though in general, positive news.”
Dart was hurt on the seventh snap of New York’s 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. On third-and-8 with 11:20 left in the first quarter, two Rams pass rushers hit him as he let go of a deep throw, and his left knee was pushed inward on the collision. The pass fell incomplete, and the Giants punted on the next play.
He walked to the sideline under his own power and went into the medical tent. The Giants listed him as questionable to return and ruled him out at halftime. He finished 3-of-5 passing for 20 yards.
During the ESPN broadcast, Giants general manager Joe Schoen told sideline reporter Laura Rutledge that Dart was “going to be OK.”
Giants coach John Harbaugh held his postgame press conference at SoFi Stadium before the team flew back to New Jersey. The MRI was set for Tuesday, once the Giants returned to their facility.
“We’ll know more tomorrow,” Harbaugh said. “That’s in the neighborhood of it, I would say. We’ll get an MRI tomorrow and have a really good feel for it, and give you more information then.”
Harbaugh’s postgame remarks came less than a day before Garafolo’s report.
“There’s no question,” Harbaugh explained. “The fact that it’s not that outcome that you’re talking about, the devastating outcome, is really good news.”
Jameis Winston And The Giants’ Quarterback Room
Jameis Winston came in once the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out on the Rams’ next possession. He completed 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception, which cornerback Trent McDuffie made in the end zone in the first half. Los Angeles sacked Winston twice.
While Dart was in the concussion protocol last season, Winston started the Giants’ games in Weeks 11 and 12 and threw for 567 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in three appearances. Jake Haener is on the practice squad as the team’s third quarterback. New Orleans drafted him in the fourth round in 2023, and he signed with Kansas City in February before being released three months later. The Giants signed Haener on Aug. 17, released him Aug. 30, and brought him back on the practice squad.
Outside linebacker Brian Burns suffered a low ankle sprain Monday, according to Harbaugh. Left tackle Andrew Thomas did not finish the game because of a groin injury. Wide receiver Malik Nabers hurt his right shoulder late in the first quarter, missed a series, and returned in the second quarter.
“We’re a resilient team,” Winston said. “We know that those three (injured) guys specifically are some of the toughest guys that we have on our team.”
According to Giants.com, the team will not make a quarterback decision until it has all of the information. The Giants (1-1) host the Tennessee Titans (0-2) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, with kickoff at noon CT. The Arizona Cardinals come next, followed by a road game against the Washington Commanders.
Jaxson Dart’s Season-Opening Win Over The Dallas Cowboys
Eight days before the injury, Dart went 23-of-29 for 230 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions in a 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 13. That game was Harbaugh’s first as Giants coach.
Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was fined $9,527 for a late hit on Dart in the opener. It was Overshown’s second unnecessary-roughness fine.
Dart is 2-0 as a starter against Dallas. In the 2025 season finale on Jan. 4, he went 22-of-32 for 230 yards with 2 touchdowns in a 34-17 win in East Rutherford.
The Giants drafted Dart 25th overall in 2025 out of Ole Miss. As a rookie, he played in 14 games with 12 starts and threw for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He also ran for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Two of the NFC East’s four starting quarterbacks were hurt in Week 2. Washington’s Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow on the final play of the first half of the Commanders’ 37-20 loss to Dallas on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
The Cowboys (1-1) play the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS. Dallas hosts the Giants in Week 17 on Sunday, Jan. 3, at noon CT on FOX.
