The Giants’ Week 2 matchup against the Rams turned ugly almost immediately. With 11:20 still left in the first quarter, Jaxson Dart took a nasty hit on 3rd-and-8 while trying to launch a pass from the Rams’ 43-yard line, leaving New York watching its star quarterback limp off with an apparent knee injury.
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Dart was attempting to throw a deep shot to tight end Theo Johnson. However, he dropped back when the Rams defenders Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart sandwiched him. Young was the first to hit Dart and pushed him into Stewart. That’s where Stewart’s leg collided with Dart’s knee. But the concerns only rose when an injury analyst dropped the worst-case scenario on social media.
“There’s a chance this is a multi-ligament injury to his left knee,” injury analyst and physiotherapist Dr Jeff Mueller stated on X. “We’ve seen this in-air hits where the knee whips into extension/valgus. Best case: MCL injury. Worst case: ACL+MCL. I didn’t like how much his knee moved on the in-air contact.”
If Dart’s injury is limited to his MCL, there’s a possibility of his return late in the 2026 season. Well, a return after an MCL injury depends on the severity. Grade I injuries can sometimes heal in roughly 2–4 weeks, Grade II around 4–6 weeks, and Grade III around 6–8 weeks. However, it could also be an MCL sprain. And that can heal in a matter of a few weeks.
Meanwhile, an MCL injury paired with an ACL tear will end the season for Dart. According to a cohort study performed at Fortius Clinic, London, and published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, players usually took around 11-15 months to return to play after undergoing surgery to reconstruct the ACL.
In a separate X post, Dr Mueller shared another angle of the hit on Dart. The visual showed Stewart’s leg smashing into Dart’s knee from the outside and forcing the knee inward. Twisting the knee inward due to an impact on the side tends to tear the MCL on the inner side of the knee joint.
“This is the angle that makes me worried about a high grade MCL tear and possible ACL for Jaxson Dart,” the doctor wrote in the caption.
Adding to the concern, a sideline clip quickly began circulating on social media, with fans interpreting an exchange between John Harbaugh and members of the Giants’ coaching staff as, “He’s gonna be out 4-6 weeks.”
Dart’s night was effectively over right there.
The Giants quarterback limped straight to the blue medical tent and never returned, finishing with just three completions for 20 yards before New York was forced to hand the offense over to Jameis Winston. What started as an early shot at the Rams quickly turned into a quarterback crisis for the Giants.
Can Jameis Winston effectively replace Jaxson Dart?
Although Winston carries a veteran tag, he started only two games last season. Through these couple of games, Winston completed 56.1% of his passes for 567 yards and scored two touchdowns. However, he also caught one touchdown pass and faced two interceptions.
These numbers helped him get a two-year, $13 million contract extension earlier in September 2026. That deal added two more years to his existing contract with New York. But his playing style is a lot different from that of Dart.
Dart is infamous for his dual-threat dynamics. And that’s a major part of the Giants’ playbook. And that’s where Winston falls short. Unlike Dart, Winston has a more traditional and high-variance passing style. Of course, that will put some unwanted pressure on the head coach, John Harbaugh, and change how he calls the games in Dart’s absence.
To make things worse, the Giants also lost their wide receiver, Malik Nabers. The receiver left the field with a shoulder injury late in the first quarter. The media spotted him with a towel over his head on the bench after he got sidelined. He had just returned from an ACL tear, and concerns kept rising around his stance. But he did return later on to support the Giants.
Dart’s brutal knee injury has instantly transformed the Giants’ promising start into a high-stakes survival test. New York’s fate now rests entirely on John Harbaugh rapidly adjusting the playbook and trusting Winston’s veteran arm to save the season.