Jaxson Dart slams the door on a QB change in the 2026 NFL Draft as Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys to close the 2025 season
Jaxson Dart made it clear the Giants don’t need another quarterback
Of course, the New York Giants found a way to complicate their upcoming offseason once again.
The Giants capped off their 2025 season with a dominant 34-17 home win over the Dallas Cowboys, leaving fans conflicted. On one hand, their young offensive core put on another fantastic game and stomped out a hated rival.
On the other hand, they just pushed themselves out of the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. A spot that would have set the franchise up for a potentially massive haul for a trade up for one of the two top quarterbacks in the class.
Regardless of the game’s effects, a win is still a win. Here were three of the most critical takeaways from the victory.
Jaxson Dart makes one final statement
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and the entire offense had a solid overall performance during today’s win. Dart threw for 230 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 32 yards as well. The offense also totaled 380 yards.
Dart’s stats weren’t gaudy, but he continued to flash many of the things that make him a potential star in New York. He made numerous plays under pressure and displayed his high-impact playmaking throughout. His most impressive was this pass to Daniel Bellinger.
With a rough stretch that created buzz that the Giants may seek to replace him this offseason, this game served as one final statement for Dart. Not only was it additional proof of what is to come when the roster gets healthy and the team finds him more weapons, but it also eliminated the chances of New York drafting another QB.
The Giants’ current draft position isn’t settled yet, but without being at the second overall spot, they’d need to trade up to get Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore. Now the Giants are best off building a better foundation for him this offseason.
New York’s run game steps up
New York’s offense produced one of its best rushing games of the season, totalling 161 yards on the ground. Tyrone Tracy had a fantastic game, rushing for 103 yards, one touchdown, and 5.7 yards per carry.
The most promising outcome for today is seeing Tracy return to the form he showed a season ago, when he generated 1,000 scrimmage yards. Once Cam Skattebo is back healthy, the Giants can have a dynamic one-two punch at running back. Tracy can provide the finesse big plays, while Skattebo grinds out the dirty yards.
Did the Giants finally find a kicker?
With all of the kicking issues that the Giants faced this season, having a fill-in kicker go 4-for-4 was not something anyone expected. Ben Sauls stepped in after the Giants cut Younghoe Koo three games ago. Sauls was perfect on Sunday on all four attempts and both extra points with a long of 45.
New York will likely pursue a kicker in the offseason; however, it would make a lot of sense to let Sauls return for the preseason to compete for the job after this solid finish. At the very least, they could have a reliable option on their practice squad in the future.
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