The Denver Broncos are facing a unique threat this week with the New York Giants coming to town. The Giants are led by their dynamic rookie duo — quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo.
Since Dart replaced Russell Wilson in the Giants’ starting lineup, the team’s fortunes have begun to change. The Dart-led Giants upset the Philadelphia Eagles last week, handing the defending World Champions just their second loss of the season.
Meanwhile, Skattebo leads the Giants in rushing with 338 yards and five touchdowns. There’s no doubt the Giants have gotten a boost from Dart taking the reins, and the Broncos will have to be ready for that energy on Sunday.
“The team is rallying behind him. He is very confident,” Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II said about Dart on Wednesday. “It seems like he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder.”
Dart was a first-round pick last April, playing his college ball at Ole Miss. He’s a great young leader, and he can make plays with his arm and his legs.
“You can just see the poise and intangibles. He can make every throw across the field,” Surtain said of Dart. “A very underrated part of his game is his scrambling ability and his ability to create second-chance opportunities for his offense on his feet.”
Much like Bo Nix’s athletic ability to scramble, buy time, and extend plays, Dart can hurt a defense in different ways. Surtain paid close attention to how the rookie performed last week against the Eagles.
“You saw it last week against Philly. He had a few possessions where he made plays [with] his feet,” Surtain said of Dart. “That is something we will have to take account for, but I think he will be a great player for sure in this league.”
The Giants are 2-4 on the season, but both of their wins came with Dart at the helm. He’s completed 65.9% of his passes, throwing for 508 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions.
Now, Dart has yet to experience an opponent like the Broncos, who bring the NFL’s most feared pass rush. But that relentless rushing of the passer is complemented by one of the best secondaries in the league, with Surtain as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year leading the way.
The Broncos have faced one rookie quarterback already this season, vanquishing Tennessee’s Cam Ward — the No. 1 overall pick in the draft — and sacking him six times for -50 yards. Last week, the Broncos defeated the New York Jets in London, thanks largely to the constant pressure on Justin Fields, who was sacked nine times.
The Broncos lead the NFL in sacks (30), 15 of which have come in the past two games alone. That’s a daunting task for any quarterback to face, let alone a rookie.
Throw into the mix that, even if Dart can evade the pressure up front, he’s got the likes of Surtain lurking in the secondary, and it’s easy to see that Denver has an advantage. But games aren’t won on paper.
After being gone for two weeks, the Broncos will have to capitalize on their opportunities to face one of the league’s top up-and-coming quarterbacks and put a kink in the Giants’ tail. Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who was just named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, has faced many of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks and will be ready to welcome Dart to Mile High.
However, there isn’t much tape on Dart, being that he’s only three games into his career as an NFL starting quarterback. Cooper was asked on Thursday whether facing a rookie quarterback is a “double-edged sword.”
“No, I would say no. Not to that standpoint because once you have played enough in this league, you’ve seen enough good quarterbacks,” Cooper said. “We play one of the best quarterbacks twice a year every single year. So once you go against that, you kind of get a feel of the game and you know what you need to do. You have to make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket, can’t let him get that confidence and that ego going. We just have to take care of that.”
