The Giants stepped onto the field with a rare luxury: two elite quarterbacks who can run an NFL offense. You’ve got Russell Wilson, a veteran QB1 with a Super Bowl ring, and Jaxson Dart, a hungry QB2 looking to make a name for himself. Giants have their sets of problems, but they haven’t had to worry about their QBs till now. With this depth, the fans tuning into the joint practice game against the Jets probably expected an easy dust-up. Maybe multiple TDs for Russ and Dart each, right? But no. They struggled. Big time.

Ryan Samson and Brandon London explained exactly what unravelled in the Giants’ joint practice with the Jets, and it’s not looking good for the Giants QB. “I think the trenches won the day. When we started 7 on 7, it was a clean operation for Russell Wilson, same with Jaxson Dart. The Jets’ defensive line won the game,” Samson said. Yeah, it was a bad day. When it came to seven-on-seven, there were barely any incompletions. Maybe two or three. Russ went four for four, and Dart was solid. But when it was time for 11 on 11? Everything fell apart for the Giants’ QBs. So what went wrong?

Now look, context matters. Giants were missing some key pieces. No Andrew Thomas at left tackle and Malik Nabers sitting out meant Wilson was without his go-to protector and top target. That really put New York’s shuffled offensive line to the test against a tough Jets front. It doesn’t excuse that poor outing, but it does add a tint of context.

If you want a clear look at how the quick game can really click when the protection holds up, check out Week 1 of the preseason. Wilson went 6-of-7 for 28 yards on his only drive against Buffalo, and Dart added 12-of-19 for 154 yards, a touchdown, plus 24 rushing yards, helping the Giants pull off a 34–25 win. Not a single sack on the offense. Yeah, preseason numbers aren’t the gospel, but they show why the 7-on-7 drills looked so smooth. And also why 11-on-11 in Florham Park, without Thomas and Nabers, felt like a whole different story.

So what changed once the rush got going? It’s all about the difference between clean timing and timing under pressure. In 7-on-7, Russell Wilson’s rhythm throws and Dart’s quick reads looked textbook. But in 11-on-11, the Jets mixed things up, closed off throwing lanes, and dominated at the line. They need to do better. Because the Giants’ defense barely broke a sweat.

Aaron Glenn’s defense made the field feel small

Sauce Gardner had what Sampson called a “quiet day.” Basically, a work-from-home shift that only elite corners get when the pass rush is doing all the heavy lifting. And that’s exactly how the Jets treat him. They gave him a four-year, $120.4M extension in July. Even after a down 2024 by his standards (15 games, 1 INT, 9 PD), the new coaching roster under Aaron Glenn is betting Gardner bounces back to All-Pro form.

And the man who showed up? Brandon Stephens. The Jets paid him like a true CB2 back in March: 3 years, $36M, $23M guaranteed. He’s a long, physical corner who racked up 59 solo tackles last year in Baltimore, and early camp action looks exactly like what Glenn’s staff hoped for opposite Sauce.

Front to back, the Jets are still all about a line that crushes the pocket on schedule and a secondary that intimidates receivers. receivers. Quinnen Williams is still the anchor inside (6 sacks last year). And while staying healthy matters in August, having him there (plus the reinforcements around him) is why those 11-on-11s leaned so heavily in Green’s favor. The players and Coach Glenn are preaching the same message: win the down early, and everything else looks easy.

For the Giants, the fix is pretty clear: get Thomas and Nabers back, keep riding the quick game that worked so well for Russell Wilson in Buffalo, and let Dart’s athleticism shake things up. For the Jets, it was a “proof-of-concept” kind of afternoon for Coach Aaron Glenn’s blueprint.