Should New York Giants' fans be concerned about rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart's performance in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings?
The New York Giants were unable to overcome a stout defensive effort against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, resulting in a rough 16-13 loss on Sunday.
Looking at how the offense performed, the talk around the Giants fanbase was geared towards rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who finished the day completing seven of his 13 pass attempts for a total of 33 passing yards and one interception.
First, it should be noted that the Giants’ offensive game plan on Sunday was all by design.
While the Vikings’ defense has been lights out for a majority of the 2025 season, one area of struggle for Minnesota has been limiting opposing teams’ run games. The Vikings rank third in passing yards allowed per game (169.2), but rank 24th in rushing yards allowed per game (127.6).
With this in mind, it’s clear that interim head coach Mike Kafka wanted to lean on the run game, as the Giants finished with 30 carries for 128 yards on Sunday afternoon.
However, it is hard to win a game in the NFL by strictly running the ball, and Dart’s struggles in the pass game led to New York’s loss in Week 16. But what was Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ game plan that limited the rookie quarterback?
The answer is simple: send as much pressure as possible to make Dart uncomfortable in the pocket.
According to PFF, Dart was pressured a total of nine times on 19 drop backs, while five of the nine pressures resulted in a sack. A 47-percent pressure rate is far above his average rate this season, which currently stands at 38 percent.
To make matters worse, Giants’ star left tackle, Andrew Thomas, went down with an injury in the middle of the contest, leaving him completely depleted of protection up front.
Obviously, there were multiple instances where Dart and New York’s offense could have capitalized within the red zone, as Kafka’s group failed to punch the ball in for a game-changing touchdown. And when the offense received the ball with roughly four minutes left in the game, the Giants managed to gain eight yards.
Overall, the reason for the lackluster performance in Week 16 was mostly due to the poor protection. Yes, there were times when Dart could have gotten the offense on the right track, but Sunday’s loss is a perfect learning experience for a rookie quarterback who continues to grow every week.