The Giants may have walked off Thursday night’s field with a win over the Eagles, but there was a moment that left rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart visibly shaken. Late in the third quarter, he took a crushing shoulder-to-helmet hit from Eagles linebacker Patrick Johnson and stayed down on the turf before making his way to the blue medical tent for evaluation. Giants coach Brian Daboll, clearly worried and frustrated, leaned toward the tent, snapping at team physician Dr. Scott A. Rodeo in an attempt to get a read on his quarterback’s condition. Sure, he has now apologized, but for Daboll, it might have been just the start of a sideline saga that wouldn’t go unnoticed.

“I mean, look, if you’ve ever been on an NFL sideline, there’s a lot of emotions,” Daboll told reporters after the game. “There’s a lot of emotions, and I certainly am an emotional guy. I apologized directly to our team physician. I just wanted (Dart’s) ass out there if he was OK. But I wanted the process, like we were getting ready to go for it on a potential fourth down. I would have burned a timeout if he could have gone out there. So I was asking, ‘How long is it going to take?’ So again, you want your guy out there, not at risk of anything else. But, you know, (Rodeo) came out, ‘I think he’s going to be good.’ I’m like, ‘Is he going to be good, or not? I’m gonna call a timeout on fourth down and go for the (first down), you know?” 

When Dart wasn’t cleared in time to step back in on third down, Daboll’s frustration boiled over; he was caught on camera gesturing and yelling at the medical staff, urging them to move faster. Dart did not immediately return, forcing Russell Wilson into the game to handle the offense on second-and-11, before Dart returned a few minutes later. With this win, the team snapped an eight-game losing streak against NFC East foes. Now, running back Cam Skattebo had also poked his head into the tent.

“I was making sure Jaxson wasn’t hurting anybody in the injury tent,” he joked after the game, and that’s okay. Sure, Daboll has apologized, too, but peek into the NFL’s guidelines, and you know things are far from done for the coach. 

On Friday morning, the fallout from Thursday night’s sideline drama continued as officials from the NFL and the players’ union began reviewing Daboll’s handling of Dart’s injury. The league issued a statement confirming a formal evaluation: “The NFL initiated a review of the application of the concussion protocol involving New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart during last night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That review will be conducted jointly with the NFLPA under the parties’ collective bargaining agreement.” The review could take some time, and with good reason.

The concussion protocol agreed to by the NFL and NFLPA specifically states that “only medical personnel deemed essential to the care of the athlete may be present for the tent and/or locker room evaluation.” Coaches hovering nearby, no matter the urgency, are considered a distraction, as medical staff need a calm environment to make unbiased decisions. Based on this guideline, it seems plausible that Daboll could face a fine, a scenario that would make him the second coach this season to be disciplined for inappropriate sideline behavior.

If the league does issue a fine, Daboll would join a short but notable list of sideline penalties this season. In Week 5, Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon was fined $100,000 for striking running back Emari Demercado during a sideline argument, though the fine was levied by the team rather than the league. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones faced a $250,000 fine from the NFL for flashing a middle finger to the crowd during a win over the New York Jets.

 In that context, Daboll’s actions, while motivated by concern for his quarterback, place him firmly under the league’s microscope. Or maybe it’s the coach’s competitive nature. Daboll’s team is 2-4 after the win, and still showing why they’re not done yet.

Brian Daboll’s team remains alive thanks to Jaxson Dart & Co

For once, the noise at MetLife wasn’t frustration — it was celebration. Against their hated rivals, the Eagles, they dominated with a 34-17 scoreline. For Brian Daboll, this was survival. The coach in the hot seat needed a spark, and his team delivered one.

The Giants are now 2-4, and somehow, there’s hope again! Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart put together another gritty performance, his second in three starts, and first-year running back Cam Skattebo bruised his way to three short touchdown runs. Suddenly, a team that looked lost two weeks ago is playing like it believes.

Then came the dagger. Late in the fourth quarter, cornerback Cor’Dale Flott jumped a route and took it to the house, sealing the win. Yet what fans will remember most isn’t the pick-six; it’s the emergence of Dart and Skattebo. The two young guns carried this offense and gave Giants Nation something real to hold on to.

Dart’s final line said it all: 17-of-25 passing, 195 yards, one touchdown, plus 58 rushing yards and a score. Skattebo added 98 yards on the ground and three TDs of his own.

So, for Daboll, this was a must-win. And he got it. For now, the noise quiets. But next week? That’s where we’ll see if this spark turns into something real.