INGLEWOOD, Calif. — If there were a list of most important New York Giants, seemingly all those key players got hurt at some point during a 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, starting with quarterback Jaxson Dart injuring his left knee during his team's first series.
Coach John Harbaugh would not confirm reports that Dart sprained his MCL, choosing to wait for further testing.
“That's in the neighborhood of it, I would say,” Harbaugh said. “We'll get an MRI (on Tuesday) and have a real good feel for it, and give you more information from there.”
The Giants also saw top pass rusher Brian Burns sprain his left ankle and left tackle Andrew Thomas sustain an apparent lower-body injury in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Malik Nabers had to pop his right shoulder back into place after dislocating it on the second-to-last play of the first quarter.
“But that's just part of football,” Burns said. “Guys go down every day, and it’s always next guy up. That’s why you try to develop a culture where you don’t slack off in production with the guys that’s behind.”
Even with that mentality, the Giants were never able to get back on track after Dart was hurt less than four minutes into the game while being pressured on third-and-8. Rams linebacker Byron Young hit Dart from the quarterback's right side, sending him into linebacker Josaiah Stewart, who undercut Dart's legs, resulting in a hard fall. Dart was eventually able to walk gingerly to the sideline under his own power, and he went into the medical tent for further evaluation before walking to the locker room.
Jameis Winston replaced Dart on the ensuing Giants drive.
Dart, who was 3-of-5 passing for 20 yards, spent the second half on the sideline in street clothes.
“Any time your quarterback goes down, obviously that's a gut punch to the team, right?” said Winston, who was 11 of 27 for 111 yards with one interception.
The body blows kept on coming.
Nabers was injured jockeying with Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie when he was targeted on a first-down pass. Nabers immediately grabbed his right shoulder and ran to the sideline, where he was clearly in pain. He was able to return on the next series, finishing with one reception for 1 yard on four targets, while clearly laboring at times.
“Nah, I ain't gonna make no excuse for anything that happened in the game,” said Nabers, who indicated he would undergo X-rays on Tuesday. “Yeah, I'm battling through injuries, but it doesn't make a difference on how the performance was.”
Burns got stepped on by Rams center Coleman Shelton but shook off a cart ride back to the locker room when the game ended. He would not speculate on his chances of playing against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
“I've dealt with this,” Burns said. “It just depends on how fast you can get the swelling and inflammation out. So I'm just going to do everything possible to get it as tamed as I can.”
The Giants had to navigate the absences of many of these same players last season. Dart sustained a concussion in Week 10 against the Bears during his rookie campaign, and Nabers missed most of the year with a torn ACL in his right knee.
But the enthusiasm of Harbaugh's victorious debut against the Cowboys now gives way to the likelihood Winston will be running New York's offense for the near future. An 11-year veteran who was drafted first overall in 2015, Winston started two games and appeared in three for the Giants in 2025, throwing for 567 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Harbaugh said the Giants can't get discouraged by their change in fortune.
“All around the league, everybody deals with it,” he said. “This is football. This is the NFL. This is what you do. So our task is not to lament it.”
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