The annual New York Jets vs. New York Giants preseason game always has a little more juice than almost every other game in August. This year’s meeting was notable because of the quarterback storylines.
On the Giants’ side, Russell Wilson takes over as the starter but it seems inevitable that first-round pick Jaxson Dart will take over the starting job at some point this season. There has even been some thought that maybe Dart could make a push for the job in Week 1 if he has a great preseason, after playing very well at Buffalo last week.
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For the Jets, Aaron Rodgers is gone and Justin Fields replaces him. That means a much different offense for the Jets, considering Fields is far more effective as a runner than a passer.
Here’s what we learned Saturday night: Wilson can still throw a nice deep ball, Dart played very well again and there will be continued buzz about him taking over as the starter, and Fields will go into the season with plenty of questions about his ability as a passer.
Wilson’s deep passing is probably still his biggest strength, and he showed that on his first drive Saturday. He hit undrafted rookie Beaux Collins down the middle of the field for an 80-yard gain. Devin Singletary finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Dart oddly came in for one pass during a series in the second quarter, and he produced a highlight. Dart improvised and had a fun sidearm throw to Theo Johnson, who ran downfield for 30 yards.
Wilson came in after that and then threw an interception due to a miscommunication. Wilson seemed to expect his intended receiver Collins to keep going deep, but he cut off his route as Wilson threw deep and the Jets had an easy interception in the end zone. That was Wilson’s final pass; he went 4 of 7 for 108 yards, with a lot of that coming on the 80-yard gain.
Fields struggled to pass the ball. Through the Jets’ first two possessions he was just 1 of 5 for 4 yards. A third-down pass to Garrett Wilson was covered well and broken up, and the Jets settled for a field goal. Fields’ night was done after that. It’s not exactly the momentum the Jets wanted from their starting quarterback with the regular season getting closer.
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Dart came in after Wilson’s interception. After his strong performance last week against the Bills in his preseason debut, Dart was one of the biggest stories of the second week of the NFL preseason. He didn’t have enough time before halftime to make any more plays, throwing incomplete on his only other pass attempt in the first half.
Dart started the second half well, operating in a no-huddle offense. He had good timing on a screen pass to his left, a strong throw to the middle for a 19-yard gain, a quick release on a third-down pass to the outside that picked up 6 yards and a first down and good vision and timing on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Greg Dulcich in the middle of the field to end the drive.
It was an impressive drive that showed why Giants fans are excited for Dart.
Most of the Giants’ offense in the second half with Dart in the game was up-tempo with no huddle, and Dart was very comfortable running it. He made quick decisions to get the ball out and keep the chains moving. He kept compiling completions, the offense kept moving and once again the Giants got in the end zone. Dart scored on a quarterback sneak to give the Giants a 21-6 lead. Dart’s night was done after that. He finished 14 of 16 for 137 yards. He has done nothing but impress this preseason.
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Wilson hasn’t done anything wrong to lose ground to Dart, assuming the Giants coaches blame the undrafted rookie and not the 13-year veteran for the interception. It’s just that Dart continues to make plays whenever he is on the field. Wilson still seems likely to begin the season as the starter, but there will be plenty of impatience to get Dart on the field.