WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE OFFENSE
After making his first NFL start in Week 4 – and then his first road start four days ago – Jaxson Dart debuted on primetime against a divisional foe. The rookie is now 3-for-3 in orchestrating opening-drive touchdowns as a starter. He capped off the first of Thursday's with a 20-yard scramble into the end zone. Three plays earlier, he kept it alive with a 34-yard jump ball on third-and-12 to Lil'Jordan Humphrey, a veteran wide receiver who was elevated from the practice squad with Darius Slayton (hamstring) ruled out and Malik Nabers already on injured reserve.
Dart finished 16 of 24 for 187 yards and a touchdown. He also ran nine times for 58 yards and a score.
More importantly, the Giants did not turn the ball over. On Sunday, they had five turnovers on five consecutive drives, leading to a loss to the Saints.
Dart and Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes are the only quarterbacks since at least 1991 to lead their team to an opening-drive TD in each of their first three career starts.
Dart joined Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson as the only quarterbacks with at least 50 rushing yards in each of their first three starts in the Super Bowl era.
Dart left the game briefly after being sacked by Patrick Johnson with 2:17 left in the third quarter. He was evaluated for a concussion and ultimately cleared protocol. Russell Wilson entered the game for two plays. He handed the ball off once and then threw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. The Giants were forced to punt while holding a 27-17 lead at the time. Dart returned for their next drive.
Just like on Sunday in New Orleans, the Giants scored on their first two possessions and jumped out to a double-digit lead on a 35-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Wan'Dale Robinson, the only healthy starting wide receiver from the season opener.
Robinson led the team with 84 receiving yards on six catches. Humphrey had the most targets (eight) with four catches for 55 yards.
The Giants scored 13 points in the first quarter, their most since having 14 to start a Week 5 game at Dallas in 2020.
Running back Cam Skattebo, who entered Week 6 ranked fifth among all NFL rookies in yards from scrimmage, stopped a 14-0 run by the Eagles with a four-yard touchdown with 1:19 left in the second quarter. The fourth-round draft choice found the end zone two more times and now has five rushing touchdowns on the season.
Hyatt caught his first three passes of the season for 17 yards on Thursday. He also drew a key 21-yard passing interference penalty in the end zone, setting up Skattebo's third touchdown that extended the Giants' lead to 34-17 with 9:41 left in the game.
Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. returned to action for the first time since he suffered a shoulder injury in a Sunday night game against the Chiefs in Week 3. He had four carries for six yards.
Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor was cleared to play despite being limited throughout the shortened week due to a back injury. He kept intact an offensive line that has now started the same five players for the fourth consecutive week (left tackle Andrew Thomas started Week 3 but played only 28 snaps in his first game back). The group faced an Eagles front that did not include Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was added late to the injury report with a heel issue and did not play.
Center John Michael Schmitz left with 9:36 left in the third quarter due to a nose injury. He was also evaluated for a concussion and ruled out. Austin Schlottmann took his place.