Jaxson Dart learned only one lesson from his shocking 13 net passing yards in Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
“I mean, just not let it happen again, like this,” a despondent Dart said after the Giants (2-13) suffered their ninth straight defeat.
The rookie quarterback was searching for answers, deep in conversation at his postgame locker with veteran backups Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson.
“Probably the big thing is perspective,” Dart said of what Winston and Wilson can impart to him. “They’ve been through a lot. They’ve had crazy good games; they’ve had games where they’ve struggled themselves. A lot of this is new for me, and you definitely lean on those guys and have those conversations.”
Sunday’s pathetic offensive showing, however, is what happens to promising players when they are subjected to the Giants’ dysfunction:
They get swallowed by it. And they begin to struggle to a see a way out.
This game really was a final referendum on interim head coach Mike Kafka, who had no idea how to protect Dart from an aggressive and complicated defense run by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Flores did this to former Giants head coach Brian Daboll last season, too, in a 28-6 Vikings win.
Flores has not allowed a single offensive touchdown in his two victories over the Giants since they passed on him to hire Daboll in 2022. That hiring cycle thrust the Giants into an ongoing discrimination lawsuit with the NFL and other teams.
So Flores could be in line for a third win over the 101-year-old franchise.
The Giants’ 141 total offensive yards on Sunday was more than just a struggle, though. It was the franchise’s third-lowest total in any game since 1999, when they had 107 in a win — believe it or not — over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Daboll had 119 in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last year. The Giants had 132 yards in a Wild Card loss to the Carolina Panthers in 2005. And then there is Sunday.
Dart didn’t complete a pass until 1:44 remained in the second quarter and finished 7-of-13 for 33 yards, an interception and a 27.4 quarterback rating.
The Giants’ only TD came on a 27-yard fumble return by Tyler Nubin late in the first half after a Brian Burns strip sack.
“It sucks,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “There’s no other thing to say. We’re paid to win in this league and be competitive. We’re not right now, so we’ve got to figure it out.”
The ‘good news’ is that No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft is still in play.
The Giants have two games remaining, starting with next Sunday’s trip to take on the equally lowly Las Vegas Raiders. So the loser of next Sunday’s game in Sin City likely will hold the top pick next spring.
The Giants’ final game will come against the Dallas Cowboys, who were eliminated from the playoffs, in Week 18 at MetLife Stadium.
Joe Schoen’s team has a terrific chance to lose out and earn that top pick — although Schoen can’t be the GM to make that selection — because the Giants have a terrible culture and no idea how to win a game.
Rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter, who had to be benched twice to start following the team’s rules instead of his own, lined up offsides to cancel out a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Jevon Holland.
Corner Dru Phillips became the third Giant in the last three games to commit a costly 15-yard personal foul penalty, following Theo Johnson and John Michael Schmitz.
The defense constantly gave up big gains on third and long to a bad Vikings team.
Deonte Banks had to play when Cor’Dale Flott (knee) left the game with an injury in the second half, and the Giants benched him again because he wasn’t able to simply contain on the edge.
Discipline matters. This team has no poise and almost no leaders.
This was a Vikings team, remember, that didn’t arrive in New Jersey until late Saturday night due to flight complications.
This was a Vikings team that had to play backup quarterback Max Brosmer for half of the game after J.J. McCarthy hurt his right hand on Burns’ strip sack.
It doesn’t matter with the Giants, though. They can’t get out of their own way.
Not to mention that Thomas (hamstring), Schmitz (hand), Flott (knee) and defensive tackle D.J. Davidson (neck) all left this game with injuries.
Schoen now has a 3-24 record (.111) in the Giants’ last 27 games, a 5-27 record (.156) in the last 32 games, a 5-18-1 record (.208) against NFC East opponents, a 2-14-0 record (.125) against the Eagles and Cowboys and a 20-45-1 overall record (.307) in four regular seasons.
His Giants set a new franchise record last year with 10 straight losses. And they are on the verge of tying it next Sunday in Vegas.
There is only one thing left for the Giants to do, and that is to fire Schoen yesterday.
Because now their toxicity and dysfunction is starting to overwhelm Dart. And ruining their young quarterback is exactly what they cannot do if they ever want to dig themselves out of this annual malaise.