It’s no secret there is pressure on New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to slide more when he’s using his legs on the field after taking significant hits during his rookie season last year.
But some things are out of Dart’s control – like on Saturday when a Minnesota Vikings defender barreled through the Giants’ offensive line untouched and rocked him in the first quarter of their preseason game.
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Dart was sent to the blue medical tent to get checked out before returning to the game. It was a familiar spot as it seemed as though he was guided over to the sideline multiple times during the 2025 season. However, he told reporters he was "puzzled" by this particular occurrence.
"As far as the blue tent, I really respect the rules and the thought behind the NFL has of keeping players healthy and reviewing things, but at the same time, I’m still puzzled by it just feeling like every time that I get hit, I find my way in there," he said. "Which at times, I still try to wrap my head around, but that’s all that I’m going to say about that situation.
"I’m really happy with how the drive ended."
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Giants head coach John Harbaugh said he was surprised that Dart was forced to the tent on the play.
"Honestly, I was. Honestly, I was. But I would say that their job is to err on the side of player safety, so I can't argue with that either," he said.
Dart threw a touchdown pass to start the second quarter. Minnesota won the game 13-10.
The focal point, from Giants fans’ point of view, is whether Dart will be able to make the smart decision and slide when he scrambles through a sea of defenders. This time, there was really not much he could do. Vikings safety Jay Ward had Dart dead to rights and delivered the crushing blow.
It’s still preseason football and the Giants have a lot of kinks to work out if they want to even sniff the playoff race this year. Reading a blitzing DB might be near the top of the list.