For the second time in three weeks, the Eagles are preparing to face Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. This time though, they are much more aware of the challenge he poses.

During the first game between the Eagles and Giants this season, Dart completed 17-of-25 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 58 yards and another touchdown. While it wasn't necessarily a prolific outing from Dart, he did a tremendous job escaping pressure, picking up yards on the ground and leading his team to a 34–17 victory over the defending Super Bowl champions, and scoring the most points allowed by the Eagles all season.

His performance certainly caught the attention of Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who said ahead of their Week 8 matchup, “One lesson learned is the teams that needed quarterbacks that bypassed him—they’re going to regret that.”

"Obviously very athletic, an elite scrambler, I think their coaches have done a great job with him. They've developed the offense around him," Fangio continued. "Throws the ball very intermediate and deep. He's a good player."

The Giants ended up taking Dart with the No. 25 pick this past April after trading back into the first round. Among the quarterback-needy teams that passed on Dart before he was selected near the end of the first round were the Titans, who selected Cam Ward No. 1, the Saints, who took Tyler Shough in the second round, Browns, who selected Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds, respectively, and the Raiders and Jets.

Dart is currently performing better than any other rookie quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL draft, leading the Giants to a 2–2 record while throwing for 791 yards, seven touchdowns and three picks and rushing for 178 yards and three touchdowns.

Though none of the other rookie quarterbacks have a great supporting cast, neither does Dart. Fellow rookie running back Cam Skattebo is playing well, but the Giants are currently without No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers, who is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Even so, Dart has put the Giants in position to win in every one of his starts and pulled off upsets against the Chargers, Eagles and nearly did the same to Broncos.

Dart will look to earn another upset victory as the Giants head to Philadelphia this week.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Eagles DC Vic Fangio Believes Teams Will 'Regret' Passing on Giants' Jaxson Dart.