Big Blue View
The New York Giants squandered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in Chicago — a collapse that marked another regime-defining loss and ultimately sealed Brian Daboll’s fate as head coach. The season is over from a playoff perspective, and the Giants sit at 2-8. Still, the future looks bright with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was sensational against the Bears before leaving the game with a concussion early in the fourth quarter.
Dart finished 19 of 29 for 242 yards with two rushing touchdowns and 66 yards on the ground. Outside of one drive, the Giants’ running backs generated very little on the ground. Dart, though, averaged 6.4 yards per carry. He scored on this fake toss QB counter:
Jon Runyan Jr. (76) on the kickout and Theo Johnson (84) leading the way with excellent play-side blocking from Andrew Thomas (78) and Greg Van Roten (74). Dart and the offense then gave the Giants a ten-point lead after the first drive of the third quarter, which was concluded with this 24-yard BASH touchdown run:
BASH means back away (from the pullers). The Giants pull the backside tackle and guard to the front side as the running back — from the opposite side of the puller’s original alignment — goes into the mesh-point where the quarterback reads a defender and makes a read/decision. Dart kept the football and followed the pullers. Watch how Dart maximized the blocking and displayed excellent attention to detail, which allowed Wan’Dale Robinson (17) to eliminate Jaquon Brisker (9) successfully.
It was an exceptional run by Dart, who was outstanding on the ground throughout the game. However, his success came at a cost, as he presumably suffered a concussion on a 7-yard BASH run — the same play on which he fumbled the football. The Giants picked up 51 yards with the four designed runs — three of which were BASH. According to NFL Insights, Dart is the only quarterback since 1970 to record at least one passing and one rushing touchdown in five of his first six NFL starts.
As good as Dart was with his legs, he was even more impressive through the air. He averaged 8.3 yards per attempt with a 9.8-yard average depth of target (aDOT). Dart created outside the pocket, extended plays, and delivered high-level throws both off-platform and within structure — all while putting the team on his back on the road. It was an outstanding performance, as he attacked defenses beyond his first read with an exceptional ability to extend plays and find answers; here are several throws that showcase this.
Dart found Darius Slayton for 31 yards on this back-shoulder throw, just before connecting with him again for 38 yards. While Slayton’s effort deserves plenty of praise — it was an excellent adjustment and catch — Dart’s ball placement in tight coverage stands out. Slayton won vertically outside against a deep-third defender to the boundary. He was vertical enough not to get squeezed off the red...
