The Washington Commanders‘ strong balance, confident offense, and aggressive defense dominated the New York Giants on Sunday. They thrashed the Giants, claiming a 21-6 victory. Apart from the Giants’ embarrassing defeat, it was Russell Wilson who could not create an impact. In the loss against Washington, Wilson completed just 45.9 percent of his passes for 168 yards, no touchdowns, and a feeble passer rating of 59.3. With these numbers on the board, it is expected that coach Brian Daboll might make a switch for the starter QB. But many have expressed their strong opinions before he makes the “Jaxson Dart” move.

“I think you have to let Russell Wilson take the hits so Jackson Dart doesn’t have to,” Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated said on his podcast. “I think you have to look at what’s best for the development of my young quarterback. Is it going out there and playing, or is it getting his clock all messed up because he isn’t getting a chance to sit back there and read a defense?” he said while focusing on young rookie QBs’ development. With this, he signaled that Daboll might not want to affect Dart’s development by shoving him into the limelight.

He stressed why Jaxson Dart can’t play this early behind the Giants’ “bad” offensive lineup. This Giants’ offensive lineup is not ideal for a young QB’s development. It has consistently struggled to protect its QB, which was also witnessed in Russell being sacked consistently in recent games. Daboll has always been high on Dart since the day he jumped on the roster. But there’s little upside and growth opportunity for this offense with a 36-year-old Wilson back there.

Then the question remains, how will the Giants know what could be the signal-caller for the rookie QB without providing that opportunity on game day? After a terrific preseason, Jaxson could have made it to the starter QB position, but it didn’t happen. Instead, Daboll expressed that he never considered replacing Wilson with Dart. “I have confidence in Russell, so we’re going to go back, we’ll evaluate the tape,” he said after the match.

Clock’s ticking on Wilson, or will he get a pass this time as well?

Russell Wilson is currently suffering from arguably one of the roughest patches of his career. Before a disappointing season opener, his last year had been modest by his usual standards. Wilson completed approximately 63.7% of his passes, throwing for around 3,500 yards. He recorded 16 touchdown passes against 5 interceptions, showing a decrease in scoring production compared to his peak seasons. His passer rating hovered around 95.6, which is considered average and lower than his career high marks.

Despite these continued struggles, Daboll might take his time in the Wilson dilemma. He has publicly expressed confidence in Wilson’s ability to rebound from struggles and lead the team. He also did not make Russell the fall guy for the loss on Sunday. “Didn’t play particularly well, I would say collectively… Again, like I said yesterday, that game doesn’t fall on Russell Wilson. We got to do a better job collectively, coaching, playing. But Russ will be the starter,” he said after the match, assuring Russell’s appearance for the coming week.

The Giants will face the Cowboys in the coming. This is a good opportunity for Russell to bounce back and regain the trust lost by the spectators. He needs to work on his pocket awareness and decision-making to throw under pressure and refrain from being sacked. Wilson’s rushing yards dropped compared to earlier seasons. If he wants to redeem himself, working on his mobility is the need of the hour.