Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I jinxed myself yesterday by saying I didn’t want to watch Jameis Winston play quarterback again.
In today’s SI:AM:
🎯 Dart injury update
🗽 Mets make manager move
🐻 Bears’ QB investment
They’re cooked
The glimmer of optimism that Giants fans felt after their Week 1 win over the Cowboys has now faded away completely.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart’s left knee injury is more significant than the team initially believed, according to multiple reports. Giants coach John Harbaugh told reporters after Monday night’s loss to the Rams that it appeared Dart had avoided a “devastating outcome.” But after undergoing an MRI yesterday, Dart is reportedly facing the prospect of season-ending surgery. Harbaugh said during a teleconference with reporters yesterday that the team had not reached a “final decision” on Dart’s treatment.
Any extended absence for Dart—season-long or otherwise—is a death sentence for the Giants. New York wasn’t widely considered a playoff contender this year, but there was reason to believe they’d at least be respectable after totaling seven wins in the previous two seasons. They have several talented young players on both sides of the ball and hired a coach in Harbaugh with a long track record of success.
But Dart’s injury dooms the Giants to yet another season at the bottom of the NFC. Backup quarterback Jameis Winston played horrendously when pressed into action on Monday night, completing 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards and one interception. It’s difficult to envision a scenario in which an offense led by Winston leads the Giants to more than one or two wins.
For some reason, fans love Winston as much as Winston loves throwing interceptions. It says a lot about him as a player that the best season of his career was the one in which he led the league in passing yards but also threw a whopping 30 picks. That was in 2019, his last year as a full-time starter. Since then, while making sporadic appearances for the Saints, Browns and Giants, Winston’s interception issues haven’t gotten any better. He has the highest interception rate (3.6%) among the 54 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 600 passes since the start of the 2020 season.
Not that it’ll be any consolation to the Giants, but they’re far from the only team in this situation. The division rival Commanders lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to a dislocated non-throwing elbow and are poised to start Marcus Mariota at quarterback. The Bears saw Caleb Williams carted off the field on Sunday and now may be forced to turn to third-stringer Case Keenum this week because backup Tyson Bagent is in the concussion protocol.
If I was trying to put a positive spin on this, I suppose I’d say that watching backups struggle is a reminder of how hard it is to play quarterback in the NFL and makes you appreciate players like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. I just wish I didn’t have to watch Winston repeatedly throw passes at his receivers’ feet.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Conor Orr: Why the Jaxson Dart and Jayden Daniels Injuries Could Completely Upend the NFL
- Matt Verderame: Chiefs Guard Trey Smith Explains How an NFL Player Commits to His Body
- Gilberto Manzano: 2027 NFL Mock Draft 2.0 Includes Seven QBs in the First Round
- Gilberto Manzano: Why It’s Time for the Football Public to Stop Doubting Jalen Hurts
- Albert Breer: Bears’ Investment in the QB Room Is About to Pay Off
- Ryan Phillips: Mets’ Hiring Andy Green Is Both ‘Safe’ and a Leap of Faith
- Ryan Phillips: The Rockies Have Reached Historic Levels of Prolonged Futility
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. The Rays’ new throwback road uniforms.
4. Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki’s creative way of keeping his ears warm on a crisp night in Chicago.
3. Red Wings goalie John Gibson’s quick stick save in a preseason game.
2. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 39th steal of the season. He’s one away from logging the seventh 40–40 season in MLB history.
1. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez’s hustle to score from third on a pop foul to first.
📺 What we’re watching today …
WNBA
Dream at Liberty, 8 p.m. ET, USA Network
In the regular season finale for both teams, Atlanta can tie its franchise record for wins (30) with a victory.
Wings at Storm, 9 p.m. ET, USA Network, CNBC
Paige Bueckers, who broke the franchise record for points scored in a season on Monday night, will look to help Dallas solidify its hold on the No. 7 seed with a win.
MLB
Guardians at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Guardians can clinch a playoff berth if they win and either the Rangers or the Astros lose tonight.
