New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is believed to have sustained a sprained MCL after his knee buckled awkwardly during the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, raising immediate concerns about the severity of the injury.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Dart’s X-rays were negative and he’ll have an MRI on Tuesday. But while Dart is expected to miss some time, he has seemingly avoided a season-ending injury.
Dart grabbed his knee at once after Rams defenders Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart collided with him as he attempted to find tight end Theo Johnson on the Giants’ opening drive.
Young struck Dart from the quarterback’s right, forcing him into Stewart. The linebacker then went low, cutting out Dart’s legs and sending him heavily to the turf.
The 23-year-old quarterback managed to walk off the field, although he was clearly favoring the leg and appeared visibly frustrated. He soon headed to the locker room, with Jameis Winston taking over at quarterback, before Dart was taken away on a cart for further evaluation.
Dart was able to stand on the sideline during the second half but was ruled out at halftime. Giants general manager Joe Schoen offered a brief update to ESPN, saying: ‘He’s going to be okay.’
Jaxson Dart raised major injury concerns for the Giants when his knee bent awkwardly
Dart remained on the field clutching his knee after a Rams defender collided with him
Dart appeared dejected as he made his way to the locker room without assistance
Although ruled out, Dart was able to stand on the sideline during the second half
ESPN commentator Joe Buck later referenced a report from a colleague claiming that Dart wanted to return to the game, but the Giants refused to put him back on the field.
The Giants received another worrying blow when defensive standout Brian Burns needed help leaving the field after apparently suffering a leg injury in the fourth quarter. The development adds to the concerns facing new head coach John Harbaugh.
New York also came close to losing star wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was left in obvious pain after appearing to injure his shoulder.
Nabers sustained the injury while battling Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie for position on a first-down throw late in the opening quarter.
He immediately clutched his right shoulder and made his way to the sideline, where several trainers examined him as he appeared to be in considerable discomfort.
When ESPN returned from a commercial break, Nabers was sitting upright on the bench and rubbing the shoulder. He ultimately returned to the game.
The Giants’ 28-6 defeat to the Rams at SoFi Stadium halted the momentum they had built with their Week 1 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
In that impressive win over their NFC East rivals, Dart completed a performance featuring 230 passing yards, three touchdowns and 54 rushing yards.
The former Ole Miss quarterback had been targeting a significant step forward in his second NFL season after a promising yet injury-hit rookie campaign. New York selected Dart with the No. 25 overall pick.
Dart appeared in 14 games and started 12 as a rookie, but suffered a concussion during a Week 10 matchup with the Bears. He finished with 2,272 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while adding 487 rushing yards and nine rushing scores.
The Giants’ night threatened to deteriorate further when Malik Nabers appeared to be in significant pain
Nabers ran off the field after competing to catch a pass and dropped to his knees in agony
Dart and girlfriend Marissa Ayers posed for a picture together before kick off in Los Angeles
Winston started two games and appeared in three for the Giants in 2025, throwing for 567 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The 11-year veteran was drafted first overall in 2015, and has also played for the Buccaneers, Saints and Browns.
Moments before his injury, Dart enjoyed a romantic moment with his glamorous girlfriend Marissa Ayers on the sideline. The couple posed for pictures as Ayers stunned in a red dress.
The injury to Dart also comes just 24 hours after fellow quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams also suffered worrying injuries.
Daniels dislocated his elbow when he tried to brace himself while stumbling during the Commanders’ 37-20 loss at Dallas. The same injury occurred last November and kept Daniels out a month before he tried to play again and aggravated it.
Bears star Williams, meanwhile, was carted back to the locker room when he suffered a hamstring injury in their loss to the Vikings.
Williams’ right hamstring injury is a ‘week-to-week’ situation and coach Ben Johnson admitted he doesn’t expect him to practice this week, although he hasn’t ruled him out for Chicago’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles next Monday night.