Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart is drawing effusive praise from coach Brian Daboll

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Moments after beating the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in prime time last week, New York Giants coach Brian Daboll could not stop praising rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Even as he repeatedly called it a good team win that wasn't about one player, Daboll could not hide how happy he is to have Dart at the most important position in football.

“It’s good to have a young leader like Dart,” Daboll said. “He leads by his play, he leads by his words, he leads by his emotion, he leads by his loose plays. Glad he’s my quarterback — our quarterback."

While Daboll referenced mentor Bill Parcells' old saying that Dart shouldn’t be fitted for his gold Hall of Fame jacket after three NFL starts and the 2-4 Giants still have an uphill climb this season, the decision to go to him and bench Russell Wilson has at least brought some hope to the organization.

“Jaxson's done a great job," left tackle Andrew Thomas said Monday. “He puts strain on the defense with his legs (and) playmaking ability. ... This offense is not easy to learn. He’s done a good job with that — just being vocal in the meetings, talking to the receivers, trying to get everyone on the same page. I think that’s what I’ve been most impressed by.”

Dart has made his share of mistakes, such as throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in a turnover-marred defeat at New Orleans. He also took responsibility for that, showing with his words the leadership Daboll has come to see in the 22-year-old.

He backed it up on the field, running for a touchdown among his 13 carries for 58 yards and throwing for another against Philadelphia. Asked how Dart's legs make a difference, Daboll deadpanned: “It helps, yeah. It helps.”

It also helps to have Cam Skattebo bowling over opponents as one way the offense is compensating for losing No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers for the season with a torn ACL. But Dart is running the show and, along with Skattebo, is trying to turn the tide for a franchise that has one playoff victory over the past 13 years.

“We’re just trying to set a standard of intensity here each and every day,” Dart said. “There's, at times, some negativity that's surrounding (the team). For us, some of the new guys that are coming here, we just got here, so we don’t feel like we were involved in the past. We’ve got a lot of winners on this team.”

The odds are still very much against New York going from 0-3 to the postseason, but Dart is now the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite on BetMGM Sportsbook. Visiting Denver on Sunday is another challenge, facing the second-ranked defense in the league.

The Broncos are a 7-point favorite — roughly what the Eagles were. Dart got fired up by outside noise that “nobody really expected” the Giants to win. Now he will try to lead another upset as his teammates rally around him.

“He’s a quarterback, a very competitive quarterback that knows what to do with the ball at the right times, and he can use his legs,” Skattebo said. "He does a great job just being the general on the field, and props to him and props to the guys around him that help him be who he is.

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