EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Usually, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the New York Giants playing in prime time, the fans heading to the exits at MetLife Stadium are their own.
Not on “Thursday Night Football” Oct. 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Giants doubling up the Eagles 34-17 and 9:41 remaining, it was the visiting fans clad in kelly green walking to the concourse on their way toward the marshes of New Jersey. The final score held, and the defending Super Bowl champions fell in consecutive games for the first time since the 2023 season.
The Giants’ malaise over the past several seasons can be further explained by their putrid prime time record. Since the 2019 season, they were 2-20 in night games, including a 1-12 showing at home at MetLife Stadium.
Enter the rookie combination of quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo, both of whom carried the Giants’ offense. Skattebo (19 rushes, 98 yards) had three rushing touchdowns. Dart also had one on the ground (10 carries for 60 yards before the end-of-game kneel downs) and was 17-for-25 with 195 passing yards and a touchdown through the air.
‘At times there’s some negativity that’s surrounding here,’ Dart said of his first impression of being a Giant. ‘For us, some of the new guys coming in here, we just got here so we don’t feel like we’re involved in the past. We’ve got a lot of winners on this team.
“We can’t be naive to everything. We hear what people say. It definitely lights a fire in us.”
‘Live by the sword,’ he said, ‘die by the sword.’
The statistical contributions and production are, of course, necessary for change to begin in head coach Brian Daboll’s fourth season at the helm. But the spiritual revitalization they have seemed to ignite – Dart is not lacking “aura,” as the kids say, and Skattebo is slapping cornerbacks on the sideline to celebrate their interceptions – are even more meaningful.
‘It’s so much energy. It’s just life to our team,’ tight end Daniel Bellinger told USA TODAY Sports about the rookie duo. ‘We’ll have a down moment in a game and they’ll just bring that energy and that juice, like ‘All right, here we go.’”
From the Giants’ first drive, Dart sliced the Eagles’ depleted secondary, especially after cornerback Quinyon Mitchell exited in the first half with a hamstring injury (defensive tackle Jalen Carter was also surprisingly ruled out before kickoff). Dart converted a long third down with a jump ball pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey and put All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun on skates for a 20-yard touchdown run for the Giants’ first score of the game.
On the next drive, Dart stayed calm in the pocket as the Eagles’ pass rush approached. The Ole Miss product turned to his right, found Wan’Dale Robinson for a first down and Robinson did the rest – sprinting down the right sideline for a 35-yard touchdown and an early 13-3 advantage.
“They just love ball,’ Thomas said of both Dart and Skattebo. ‘They’re not really focused or concerned about how old they are, how many games they’ve been in, just they love football, they’re passionate about it, they play their tails off. And they brings guys with them.”
Inside the huddle, Bellinger said, Dart is mature and shows almost no nerves while staying in control of his emotions.
“Brings us into the game and ready to (expletive) go,” Bellinger said.
Skattebo scored his first touchdown with 1:19 left before halftime and put New York back on top for good. He added one score in the third and fourth quarter apiece and finished with a taunting penalty for good measure. Seventy-nine of his rushing yards came after contact, while 47 yards came against stacked boxes (eight or more defenders), according to Next Gen Stats
“It’s been awesome,’ Skattebo said of emerging as a fan favorite. ‘They feel the energy. They see it. They know we have something behind us, the little underdog feeling that lights a fire underneath us and gets us to keep going.
“I feel it. But there’s a spark that comes from a lot of guys, too.”
From Day 1, running back Tyrone Tracy said, Skattebo has been outspoken, loud and emotional. His friendly slap of cornerback Cordale Flott, who picked off Jalen Hurts in the red zone, was an example.
“You need someone like that on your team that’s going to speak up and be loud and have that energy and producing like that,” Tracy told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s just him being him. Not everybody’s going to be like that.”
The rookies’ larger roles have also increased the Giants’ efficiency in situational downs; they were 11-for-16 (69%) on third down and scored on all of their red zone and goal-to-go scenarios.
Daboll said he has liked everything about Dart since draft night. The coach doesn’t expect perfection, but the toughness and vision, combined with the athleticism, has been noticed by Daboll. Dart has won two of his first three starts but there remains ‘a lot to work on.”
“He’ll be the first to tell you that,” Daboll said, “but he’s a leader.”
Not turning the ball over was a priority and topic of conversation for Dart and Skattebo during their talks since Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, when the Giants coughed the ball up five times.
“We’re just trying to set a standard of intensity here each and every single day,” Dart said.
“Me and him do a lot of things on the side together, talk a lot together, about kind of getting this turned around,” Skattebo said about the time he and Dart spend with one another.
Those conversations may involve just the two of them, but they realize they are not alone in the effort. Getting everybody on the same page, buying into positivity and improving may start with them but it doesn’t end there.
“We need to continue to build and build and build each and every day and have these guys with positive mindsets and get away from that losing mindset,” said Skattebo, who added he felt the sideline’s confidence whether they were trailing by three in the first half or leading by 17 for the last 10 minutes of the game.
“When your quarterback is that way, it’s a lot easier,” Skattebo said.
It’s also not simply Dart or Skattebo changing the vibe.
“It’s everybody in the building,” Skattebo said.
That may be true. But there is no denying that the two precocious ‘Big Blue’ rookies are the heartbeat behind any potential turnaround for the Giants.
This story has been updated with new information.