Jaxson Dart was inside the dreaded blue medical tent, which has become such a second home for the quarterback that you wonder if he’ll install a mini fridge and a barcalounger, and soon everyone on the Giants sideline wanted to join him.
Brian Daboll, the concerned head coach, peeked his head into the entrance before yelling impatiently at the team doctor. Cam Skatteboo, the QB’s BFF, just barged right in and made himself comfortable. “I just went inside to calm (Dart) down,” said the rookie running back, who, for the record, is about as calming as three bottles of Jolt cola.
Dart had vanished into that tent in the third quarter on Thursday night after taking a hit to the head, and suddenly, it felt like the bartender had turned on the lights at an all-time rager. The Giants had a two-score lead on a team that has tormented them more than any other, but just like that, it felt uncertain.
Was the party over?
It was not. Dart came back into the game after missing just one series, and out of all the many happy developments for the Giants in this 34-17 victory over the hated Eagles, that is easily the most important one.
Dart keeps on getting back up. He also keeps throwing himself into harm’s way. And that, really, is the rub. The Giants are fun again, and it’s been a long time since you could watch them and say that.
But, at times, it feels like the whole thing is hanging by a thread. This was the third time Dart has made a trip to the medical tent in his rookie season, if you count a visit in the team’s final preseason game.
He didn’t love my question after the game measuring the extra yards he gains versus the need for him to stay upright for the next play. He was just as defiant at the postgame podium as he is when an opposing linebacker is closing in for the hit.
“I’ve definitely answered this question a lot,” Dart said, “but there are just situations where, it’s third down, I’m going to get the first down. That’s important to me. That’s important to the team. We’ve got to keep the drives alive.
“Was there maybe one or two hits today I could have avoided? Yes. But in my mind, when I’m running the ball, I’m trying to get a few yards and put our team in a very good situation. I understand that you’ve got to take care of your body, and I definitely try to do my best with that. But in situations where things are important, I’m going to do my best to get that done.”
The situation, in Dart’s mind, was important enough for him to leave his feet and throw his body at the first-down marker late in the second quarter. He got the first down, and a few plays later, Skatteboo carried an Eagles linebacker into the end zone for a touchdown. The crowd loved it.
His teammates did, too, although some admitted to having misgivings.
“He’s insane,” defensive end Brian Burns said with a laugh. “That third-down pick up when he launched himself? Insane. I’d still encourage him to slide, but that dog mentality, you gotta love it.”
This entire night felt like a moment for the Giants. They still haven’t proven they’re a good team, not when they are as likely to throw away the good vibes from this win — see last weekend’s loss in New Orleans as proof — as they are to build on it.
The Eagles, though, had beaten them in 19 of the previous 23 meetings between the two teams. The Giants hadn’t scored this many points against a Philadelphia defense since a 42-7 victory in December 2012.
Michael Vick was the Eagles quarterback that day. Andy Reid was still their head coach. It’s been a while.
“It absolutely is (a statement) because you have to have a lot of respect for that team,” Dart said. “They just came off winning the Super Bowl. They’re the top team in the league. And, quite honestly, nobody really expected us to put up a performance like this.”
Dart completed 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Skatteboo rushed 19 times for 98 yards, most with an Eagle or two on his back. Burns and the suddenly stout Giants defense filled hours of airtime on WIP back in Philadelphia by making Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts look like he might hold this team back from repeating as champions.
This was a happy night.
And yet ...
Dart isn’t going to slide. The Giants badly need the energy that he and Skatteboo have brought to this dormant team, but watching them play is going to feel like watching a someone scale the side of a mountain without a net.
Part of that style, he said, is establishing and identity for these Giants. But Daniel Jones didn’t slide, either, and eventually the promising moments became fewer as the hits to his body became more frequent. The party in East Rutherford will only last for as long as Dart can stay upright.
If you’re a fan, you can worry about that another day. But you will worry.
“I understand that the most important thing for everybody is winning,” Dart said. “I feel like the city is starving for that. We are starving for that. We hate losing. It’s the worst thing in the world.”
Giants fans know all too well how losing feels. They see a player who looks capable of delivering many happy nights like this. For that to happen, the blue tent can’t be his second home.
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