The New York Giants‘ situation got bad as their quarterback, Jaxson Dart, exited early in the first quarter. The second-year QB went down clutching his left knee in pain. But what came next was even worse for NY. Dart was replaced by veteran QB Jameis Winston, who didn’t throw a single touchdown, threw an interception, and was sacked twice. The Giants finished with a 28-6 loss in Week 2.

That embarrassing loss didn’t sit well with former NFL player Emmanuel Acho, who blasted Jameis Winston for his poor performance. Given Winston’s years of experience as a veteran quarterback, Acho argued that he was brought onto the roster to step up in moments like this.

“We saw how Carson (Wentz) once performed when he had to step in for Kyler Murray in week one, and he didn’t miss a beat. That is how Jameis Winston should have performed as a 10-year NFL vet, a former number one overall pick, a seasoned vet now for the New York Giants. Jameis, you’re on the roster for these moments,” said Acho on the Speakeasy podcast.

“You’re not on the roster to be a meme. You’re not on the roster for laughs. You’re not on the roster for hahas and kikis. You’re on the roster to get a team out of a game when they need you to help get them out of a game.”

For Jameis Winston, this was precisely the kind of moment his experience had prepared him for. The former No. 1 overall pick stepped into the game with experience, but instead of stabilizing the Giants’ offense, he struggled to find a rhythm. The veteran QB finished 11-of-27 for 111 yards and one INT as New York lost 28-6 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Acho questioned whether the veteran QB had delivered what was expected from a veteran backup in such a situation. He compared Winston to Carson Wentz, who took over at QB and led the Minnesota Vikings to a 2-0 record when Kyler Murray suffered a Week 1 concussion.

Meanwhile, Winston struggled with accuracy, missed open receivers, and threw an INT in the red zone as the Giants managed only six points. They finished with only 182 total yards and went 3-for-14 on third down.

“I’m gonna focus on executing better and being better for the team,” Winston said after the game.

Winston virtually had the entire game to settle into the offense, since Dart’s knee injury only came a few minutes into the game. The Giants’ defense also gave him opportunities, including a fumble recovery that put New York inside the Rams’ 15-yard line.

But Winston’s attempts proved costly as he threw an end zone interception to Trent McDuffie, and the team settled for only a field goal after a fumble recovery.

HC John Harbaugh believed that Winston wasn’t solely to blame, but the Giants’ offense as a team didn’t operate well.

“We didn’t execute,” Harbaugh said. “We didn’t complete passes. We didn’t run the ball well. We didn’t make plays downfield when we had our opportunities … It’s tough to come in. [Winston] operated really well; he was on point with all the things in terms of running the offense, but as a group we didn’t do what we needed to do to have a chance to win this game.”

Still, the Giants may need their $13 million veteran backup again. Harbaugh described Dart’s injury as being “in the neighborhood” of an MCL sprain, with more evaluation required. However, reports say that Dart could miss time, although the exact timeline is uncertain.

For a QB with Wintson’s experience, the expectation is not just to provide energy from the sideline. If Dart is forced to miss games, Winston has to provide stability, and his response to that pressure will determine whether Monday night was just a disastrous outing or the beginning of a much bigger problem for the Giants.