New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart made an immediate impact in the first start of his NFL career on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dart led the Giants on a nine-play, 89-yard drive and finished it with a 15-yard touchdown run to help put New York up 7-0 early in the first quarter. He was 2-of-2 passing for 20 yards and had three carries for 28 yards on his first drive.
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It was a good sign for the Giants, who have been looking for a consistent spark on offense. New York decided this was the week to start the former Ole Miss standout after Russell Wilson's poor play in the team's 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
He came into the game brimming with confidence.
"I'm ready," Dart told reporters on Wednesday. "It wasn't anything extra. You always say like, 'I'm going to prepare each week the same.' But in all reality, you have different responsibilities as the starter."
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The team came into the game 27th in points scored and 12th in yards gained. Wilson led the league in passing yards before the team's game against the Chiefs.
"I want to do my best to be a spark," Dart said. "I want to create excitement on the field. I want to be explosive when opportunities are there and just try to bring a little bit of swagger."
Giants head coach Brian Daboll wouldn't elaborate on why the decision came now.
"He just needs to go out there and do his job: just make good decisions, throw the ball where he needs to throw it, make loose plays if he needs to make loose plays and take care of it - and not have to do any more than that," Daboll said. "There'll be a lot of things to learn from. I've done this once before. It's not perfect, but I know he's doing everything he can do to get ready to play this game and that's all you can ask for."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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