Instant Analysis: Giants Fall to Rams After Jaxson Dart's Scary Knee Injury

Sports admin September 22, 2026 0 Comments

Instant Analysis: Giants Fall to Rams After Jaxson Dart’s Scary Knee Injury

The New York Giants lost Jaxson Dart and had no answer for the Matthew Stafford-to-Davante Adams connection.

Adams finished with eight receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns, torching both Greg Newsome II and Colton Hood, in the Rams’ 28-6 win over the Giants, in a game overshadowed by Dart’s first-quarter knee injury.

Here’s the instant analysis from the Giants-Rams game.

The Giants Lost Jaxson Dart to a Knee Injury

The Giants’ first drive of the game was promising. Dart went 3-for-5 for 20 yards and moved them to the Rams’ 43-yard line.

But it all went sideways from there when Dart was sandwiched by Rams defenders Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart. He went down, held his knee and limped to the sideline before eventually being ruled out after halftime.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Dart sustained a sprained MCL and X-rays were negative. Dart tried to come back before he was ruled out, but he rejoined the Giants on the sidelines during the third quarter and was not on crutches and did not appear to be limping.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen reportedly told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge that Dart would “be OK,” but what that means remains to be seen.

Jameis Winston Was Inconsistent at Best

Winston went 11-for-27 for 111 yards in relief but had some awful misses, including on his third-quarter interception when he badly underthrew Malik Nabers, allowing Trent McDuffie to undercut the route for the interception

When Winston had time to throw, Darnell Mooney was his top target. Mooney led the Giants with 48 receiving yards on two receptions, including a 33-yarder that put the Giants into Rams’ territory before McDuffie’s interception.

But without Dart, Malik Nabers was a non-factor, battling both an apparent shoulder injury and McDuffie. Nabers had just one catch for one yard.

The Giants Had No Answer for Davante Adams

The Giants did not have Deonte Banks available Monday night, but the Rams didn’t dress No. 1 wide receiver Puka Nacua either.

Yet, Adams was the difference maker, proving again why he should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Stafford fed him over and over, and Adams came back for more.

The Rams capped their first scoring drive of the night with a 31-yard pass from Stafford to Adams, and Adams caught his second TD on a highlight-reel reception after he burned Hood from 11 yards out.

The Rams ran the ball enough to keep the Giants’ defense off balance. But from the minute Banks was announced as inactive, Rams head coach Sean McVay seemed to attack Hood, Newsome and the Giants’ inexperienced defensive backs.

The Giants’ Rookies Got Exposed

Everything was a dream for the Giants’ first-year players last week against the Cowboys, but they ran into a nightmare.

The Rams picked on Arvell Reese on crossing routes, and they ran at him to the tune of 163 yards rushing. Francis Mauigoa had a hard time protecting both Dart and Winston.

Hood got burned on Adams’ second touchdown and got away with an uncalled pass interference penalty on the play that turned into Jevon Holland’s first-half interception Malachi Fields had two catches for 30 yards.

There are going to be growing pains under first-year coach John Harbaugh. The Rams looked like the best team in the NFL, even without Nacua and Myles Garrett.

This story was originally published September 21, 2026 at 11:28 PM.