(bitter) sweet victory

To say I’m shocked is an understatement; the winless New York Giants just beat the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers.

From the jump, this game felt completely different. I honestly can’t remember the last time MetLife Stadium was that loud during a kickoff. There was a real buzz in the air as fans awaited Jaxson Dart’s highly anticipated NFL debut. And he answered the call.

After the Giants defense forced a quick three-and-out, it was finally time for #6 to take the field. Dart led a methodical drive with both his legs and arm, capping it off by running it in himself, and hitting the best dance move I’ve ever seen from a Giants quarterback.

image via giants.com

Dart finished the game with 111 passing yards and a touchdown, plus 54 rushing yards and another score on the ground. While those stats don’t exactly jump off the screen, anyone watching at home or in the stadium could see he was the difference-maker.

I also want to thank Shane Bowen for not playing Abdul Carter at middle linebacker this week, instead letting him line up at his natural position on the edge. That adjustment opened things up for Carter’s best game of the season, racking up 9 total pressures, 5 QB hits, and 4 hurries.

But Carter wasn’t the only defender who stepped up. Dexter Lawrence finally looked like himself again, deflecting a pass and even grabbing the first interception of his career, on which he nearly stumbled and rumbled his way to a pick-six.

image via giants.com

Shoutout as well to safety Dane Belton, who slid into a linebacker role and held his own in coverage, and to Dru Phillips, who’s quickly establishing himself as one of the best nickel corners in the entire NFL.

Overall, this was by far the defense’s best performance of the season: deflections, turnovers, sacks, and swarming to the ball. They completely fed off the crowd’s energy and shut down one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room: Malik Nabers.

In the second quarter, on a free play, Jaxson Dart launched a deep ball to Nabers. On the jump, Nabers appeared to tweak his knee and couldn’t complete the play. He collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain, and was quickly carted off the field and taken to the locker room. According to Dianna Russini,

Nabers' MRI confirmed a torn ACL, a season-ending injury.

This injury sparks a bigger conversation about player safety in the NFL. It’s well known that fewer injuries occur on natural grass, yet MetLife Stadium continues to use artificial turf. When asked about it in the past, Giants owner John Mara has said, “We’re not there yet” when it comes to switching to grass. He blamed the numerous other events held at the stadium and the cold New Jersey winters as reasons why. To me, that sounds more like an excuse to avoid paying people to properly maintain a grass field.

And for those who think this is irrelevant: since 2019, there have been 5 Achilles tears and 15 ACL tears at MetLife Stadium, more than any other venue in the league.

But hey, that decision is way above domwithablog’s head.

Looking ahead, the Giants travel to New Orleans next week to face the 0-4 Saints, and domwithablog will be in the building.