The Jameis Winston Experience was a two-week-long roller coaster, but the New York Giants are hoping for more of a smooth sail in the final weeks of 2025.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has missed each of New York’s last two games while in the NFL’s concussion protocol, and the Giants remained winless in games the rookie has not started. Will Dart play against the New England Patriots on ‘Monday Night Football’?
Dart suffered his head injury in a Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears – resulting in his fourth concussion check since the Giants’ final preseason game. Team doctors diagnosed the rookie with a concussion, putting him in the NFL’s five-step concussion protocol that he had to clear before returning. The Mississippi product reached the penultimate step of the five-part protocol last week but was unable to clear the final hurdle before Week 12’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
That changed in Week 13, and Big Blue’s first-round pick will indeed make his highly anticipated return to action as the calendar turns to December.
Here’s what to know about Dart’s status for ‘Monday Night Football’:
Is Jaxson Dart playing today?
Yes. Dart will make his first start since Week 10. The Giants rookie’s eighth career start will be against the team that New York defeated in its last two Super Bowl appearances: the Patriots.
Dart will face off against a fellow young gunslinger in New England’s rising star and second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Maye is among betting favorites to win this year’s NFL MVP award, while Dart is second in BetMGM’s betting odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
The Giants quarterback may have been more of a shoo-in for the award if he hadn’t missed New York’s last two games while working his way through the NFL’s concussion protocol. Dart suffered his head injury in a Week 10 loss in Chicago, which was one of the final nails in the coffin for head coach Brian Daboll. The Giants fired him after the game.
New York is winless (0-5) in games in which Dart has not started behind center. Veterans Winston (0-2) and Russell Wilson (0-3) both struggled at times and were both unable to overcome late-game defensive collapses.
The Giants are already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but Dart’s return for the final stretch gives the team a bit of intrigue for the last six weeks of the season.
Jaxson Dart stats
Dart took over as the Giants’ starting quarterback in Week 4 after the team got off to an 0-3 start. He has since missed two games while dealing with a concussion he suffered in Week 10.
Here’s how the rookie’s stats look through seven career starts:
Completion rate: 128-of-204 (62.7%)
Passing yards: 1,417
Touchdowns: 10
Interceptions: 3
Passer rating: 93.5
Rushing: 57 attempts for 317 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns
Giants QB depth chart
Jaxson Dart (active – concussion protocol)
Jameis Winston
Russell Wilson
Dart is active for his first game since Week 10’s loss to the Bears. Winston was elevated to the team’s backup quarterback spot after that game, and he started each of the Giants’ last two games against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.
Wilson, like Winston, was a veteran free agent New York signed in the offseason. After beginning the year as Big Blue’s starting quarterback, he struggled to run the offense and slid to the third spot on the Giants’ depth chart.