That thunderous swoosh that ripped through the air on Monday night? Well, it was the air coming out of the balloon of optimism surrounding the New York Giants. The organization was butchered with injuries throughout their 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams to wrap up Week 2.
Most notably, they lost their rising star quarterback, Jaxson Dart, on the first drive of the game. Meanwhile, pass rusher Brian Burns suffered an ankle injury late in the contest, left tackle Andrew Thomas hurt his groin, and star receiver Malik Nabers was in and out of the game with a shoulder ailment. To put it delicately, it was a nightmarish disaster for Giants fans.
But is it a death sentence? What was once thought to be a possible breakout season for the organization after hiring John Harbaugh as head coach and upsetting the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener, has it really all gone up in flames this quickly? While it's naturally easy to feel this way and revert to looking at mocks for the 2027 NFL Draft as a coping mechanism for the presumed losses ahead without Dart, let's all take a deep breath and assess each injury one by one.
When you do that, things are -- while still not great -- a bit more palatable. As it relates to Dart, the initial report from NFL Network surrounding his injury notes that he is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL. His X-Rays were negative, and an upcoming MRI will further clarify the injury and potentially how long he could be sidelined.
Another Look At Jaxon Dart’s Injury.His Knee Definitely Bends In An Awkward Position. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/3TXUNrDV0f Again, you never want to be without your ascending second-year quarterback, but it's at least encouraging that this isn't immediately being treated as a season-ending knee injury, as everyone likely feared it was when he first went down. ESPN's Laura Rutledge reported during the "Monday Night Football" contest that GM Joe Schoen told her that Dart is "going to be OK." Another report from ESPN noted that Dart tried to reenter the game in the first half, but the Giants didn't let him. Dart later appeared back on the sideline in street clothes.
Jaxson Dart back on the sidelines supporting his team 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VY35BEY8zM While he didn't return to the game, all of those nuggets -- especially him appearing on the sideline as the game concluded -- are encouraging signs that this is not a long-term situation. During the contest, a clip went viral from the "Monday Night Football" broadcast of a trainer seemingly briefing John Harbaugh on Dart's status, and he can pretty clearly be seen saying "four-to-six weeks" if you read his lips. This dude seems to say "4 to 6 weeks," probably if a specific injury happened pic.twitter.com/1vGG2CdV9X Is this a concrete prognosis on the Giants quarterback?
Extract — continue reading at the source.
