New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart started the 2026 season in the most familiar way possible for Giants’ fans: A trip to the blue tent to be evaluated for a concussion, followed immediately by a touchdown on an improvised pass play.
The headline of the day was the two-play sequence to end the first quarter and start the second. Dart took a massive hit on a 2nd-and-10 blitz from the Vikings when Dart failed to identify the blitzer and running back Tyrone Tracy failed to pick up the blitz.
Dart got up gingerly after the hit and was immediately called to the blue tent to be evaluated for a concussion while Giants fans held their breath. He surprisingly returned for the first play of the second quarter, and immediately found rookie Malachi Fields once the play broke down.
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Dart missed two games with a concussion last season, and was tested for concussions on four other occasions. He was “puzzled” by the concussion test on Saturday.
“As far as the blue tent, I really respect the rules and the thought behind the NFL has of keeping players healthy and reviewing things, but at the same time, I’m still puzzled by it just feeling like every time that I get hit, I find my way in there,” Dart said. “Which at times, I still try to wrap my head around, but that’s all that I’m going to say about that situation.”
Dart said he got the wind knocked out of him on the hit.
In defense of the officials, Dart did lay on the MetLife Stadium turf for a few seconds before getting to his feet.
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Head coach John Harbaugh’s immediate thought when Dart went down was “we need to block better. That’s what my feeling was.”
Harbaugh had no hesitation putting Dart back in the game because he knew the quarterback was “fine.”
This is what happened when Dart re-entered the game:
Dart started the game and played the first quarter — and the first play of the second quarter — for the Giants, though his stat line was unimpressive for a quarter’s worth of work.
He finished the day completing 3 of 4 passes (75 percent) for 26 yards (6.5 per attempt) and a touchdown. Dart was also sacked twice, once on each drive.
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This was about what we’ve come to expect from Dart: Big hits, big plays, and play that seems more impressive than his stats. Dart left the game after his touchdown and will now go back to practice with a list of things to work on.
