Jameis Winston was just supposed to be the safety net behind Jaxson Dart for the New York Giants; not the actual plan for 2026. But everything changed when Dart exited Week 2 on the very first drive, and Winston took his spot under center. He tried to rally the offense that just lost its starting quarterback, but couldn’t do much to that end. In the face of those struggles, legendary Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin actually sounded worried for the 32-year-old quarterback.
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“I was telling people, ‘Jameis has had a great offseason,’ but boy, he got in that game, I don’t know what was going on,” Irvin said in a recent YouTube Live on his channel. “Jameis looks scared, and I don’t know what in the game, it’s like he hadn’t seen a snap or anything. He was so unsure of himself. And I’ve never seen – he’s played a lot of football. And I’ve heard people say the hardest thing in the world is to come off the bench as a quarterback if you didn’t get any reps to go in the game, I would imagine. But I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I felt bad for him.”
Winston may be a veteran with 11 years of NFL experience under his belt, but the Giants hadn’t planned for him to be the starter in his 12th year. Naturally, when he got pushed into the role last week, he struggled to find a rhythm. Going 11-of-27 for 111 yards and a pick, but his performance was actually much worse than that stat line suggests.
His errant throws never really found their mark as he frequently – underlined by the under-throw to Malik Nabers in the second quarter that resulted in a pick. His 17.4 QBR and 37.7 passer rating encapsulated the nightmare New York had to endure at SoFi Stadium. But there’s an argument for that – made by head coach John Harbaugh himself.
“It’s just a matter of execution,” the coach said after the game. “Those plays get made, or they don’t. I thought Jameis came in … it was tough for him. He came in, executed, he operated really well. He was on point with all the things in terms of running the offense and all that. But as a group, as a team, we just didn’t do what we needed to do to have a chance to even win the game. We didn’t play up to that level across the board.”
Defensively, the Giants only managed a single sack and a pick on Matthew Stafford as the Los Angeles Rams quarterback ripped them for 327 yards and four touchdowns. They even struggled to stop the run – evident by the 163 yards Los Angeles gained on the ground. As for NY’s offense, they were limited to just 2 rushing and 8 passing first downs. Their third down efficiency was even worse as they went 3-of-14 in those attempts. While Winston did had a crucial turnover, not all of this falls on his shoulders.
After all, this was supposed to be Dart’s season to make his mark on the NFL. That is exactly why new head coach John Harbaugh spent the offseason moving him away from the RPO-heavy offense to get him more comfortable under center. Winston – even with his two-year, $13 million extension this September – wasn’t part of that plan. Now that he is, a full week of first-team reps and adjustments that will surely play to his strength might just show us something different.
Now, as the Giants set their sights on hosting the 0-2 Tennessee Titans, Jameis Winston will have a better chance of getting into the groove. With Jaxson Dart sidelined for the rest of 2026, this is Winston’s offense – something that he calls “a privilege” – and he feels pretty positive about it.
“For this game alone, my focus is on being my very best, going out there and having elite fundamentals and precise execution,” Winston told reporters recently. “And that’s what it starts with, and it’s as simple as that. No matter how big it may seem, being present and focused on doing all that you can do with what you have, with where you are. For right now, that’s keeping Jaxson’s spirits uplifted and going out there on that football field and being the New York Football Giants starting quarterback right now.”
Time will tell if Jameis Winston can really get the offense going and win games starting Week 3 to ease the concerns of Michael Irvin and the rest of the league. For now, the Giants’ 2026 hopes rest on Winston’s words and his throwing arm.