Will Jaxson Dart defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in his regular-season debut for the New York Giants?

Jaxson Dart will be making his first start for the New York Giants on Sunday, as the Giants will be looking to nab their first win of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers.

This isn't exactly the best matchup for Dart's first game considering that the Chargers are the eighth-ranked defense in football, but outside of pushing Dart's debut back to Week 5 when New York heads on the road to battle the New Orleans Saints, there really aren't many safe landing zones for the rookie. Just check the Giants' schedule.

Plus, head coach Brian Daboll obviously felt he needed to make the switch from Russell Wilson to Dart to potentially save his job, so here we are.

Now, Dart will catch a little bit of a break versus Los Angeles. Why? Because the Chargers are missing top pass rusher Khalil Mack, who is sidelined with an elbow injury. Mack is a lynchpin in LA's defense, so the fact that he is out is pretty significant.

Still, Los Angeles is loaded with good defenders all over the field, particularly in its secondary with Derwin James and budding star Tarheeb Still. Mack or no Mack, this will comprise a pretty significant challenge for Dart.

The good news is that it looks like left tackle Andrew Thomas will be playing a heck of a lot more this week after seeing just 26 snaps in New York's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, so Dart should have some better protection up front.

Look for the Giants to try and make Dart comfortable in his inaugural start. That means some quick, short throws to Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson and the ever-reliable Darius Slayton, not to mention checkdowns to running back Cam Skattebo, who has already flashed his incredible pass-catching acumen over his first few NFL games.

That doesn't mean Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka won't let Dart take shots down the field (especially with Nabers' ridiculous catch radius), but it's more likely that New York will, for the most part, play it safe with its first-year quarterback.

The Giants will have a difficult time winning this one. The Chargers are undefeated, and Justin Herbert is playing at a very high level. But to be perfectly honest, if New York is going to steal a game against a superior opponent at some point this season, this could be the game to do it.

Look for the Giants to play their best all-around game of the season in a shocking win. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but there is a chance that Dart lights a fire under these guys on Sunday afternoon.