In the wake of Jaxson Dart’s worst statistical game as an NFL quarterback on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, the narrative being pushed is that the rookie quarterback is regressing rather than getting better.
Interim head coach Mike Kafka isn’t having it.
“I don’t see it that way,” Kafka said Monday afternoon in response to a question from Big Blue View. “I mean, I think every game is going to be different. How we play each game is going to be different.”
Dart completed just 7 of 13 passes for 33 yards on Sunday, season lows in all three categories. He was sacked five times, had two sacks negated by unnecessary roughness penalties on Vikings’ defenders, and had a ball bounce through the hands of tight end Theo Johnson for an interception.
The Giants had 31 designed run plays on Sunday, with 25 attempts to throw the ball. Penalties, sacks, and scrambles led to Dart actually being credited with just the 13 official pass attempts.
Here is the rest of Kafka’s one-minute, 26-second answer to my “Dart’s regression” question:
“How we think what’s going to help us win the game is going to be different each week. And I think the last couple weeks we ran the ball almost 30 times. So when you run the ball 30 times, it’s going to limit some opportunities for the pass game.
“And there are some games where we’re going to have to use the pass game a little bit more. So I think there’s a way to win every game. Early in the week you build a game plan around how you think you’re going to win the game.
“And then you have the compliments and things built off of that. And then in-game, you’ve got to go and adjust and find those solutions in-game based on the stuff that you have and the stuff that you put in and the system within your working within. So, I don’t see that as a regression for Jaxson.
“Sure, maybe the numbers aren’t what they had been in the past, but I think he’s playing well. He’s playing at a high level. There’s certainly things that he can continue to improve on, and we’ve talked through those as a group, too.
“But when I look back at it, it’s really this is an 11-man operation on offense. So it’s not about one person’s production. It’s about the whole group, and it’s about the whole team.
“So whatever we’ve got to do to win the game, that’s what we’re trying to do. And so, yeah, I mean, at some point, things like numbers and all that … I’m not as concerned about the numbers, to be honest with you.
“We’re looking to find a way to win a game. And Jackson’s on board with that. He understands that. And so that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Dart will continue to start
There are some in the media and fan base who would advocate for Dart to sit out the final two games to avoid injury with the Giants playing only for pride. Kafka has no plans to sit the rookie.
“We’re full throttle ahead,” Kafka said. “Jaxson’s running the ship.”
Playing to win, not for a draft pick
Sunday’s Giants-Las Vegas Raiders game will get a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons. It is a game between 2-13 teams who have the best odds of “earning” the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, with the loser likely to get that first pick.
That is not a topic Kafka intends to discuss with his team.
“The only messaging today was just focusing on today and the corrections from yesterday’s game, how we can stay consistent, how we can be more detailed,” Kafka said. “And then really the main message was let’s not leave the building today without getting some of those things corrected so that we can move forward, turn the page, and put together our best game plan and effort versus the Raiders.”
Why Kayvon Thibodeaux was placed on IR
The Giants placed Kayvon Thibodeaux on IR Friday after the outside linebacker had missed four games with a shoulder injury. There had beenhope that Thibodeaux would return to play in the last couple of games this season, but the Giants finally decided to play it safe.
“He was working really hard, and I know he wanted to get back for the group just medically,” Kafka said. “And, just talking with him, he really wasn’t there yet to be back for the last couple games. So it just didn’t make sense to put him at risk for potentially a longer-term injury and kind of redoing it.
“He battled. Everyone was working hard, and he’s working hard to get back, but it’ll just be after the season.”
More injury updates
The Giants lost several players to injury during Sunday’s game. Left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), cornerback Cor’DaleFlott (knee), and center John Michael Schmitz (hand) were among those who did not finish the game.
Kafka said the Giants were still waiting on imaging for the group of injured players and classified each as “day-to-day.”
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