It might sound dramatic, but the Giants‘ offense under Russell Wilson was ugly. In the season opener against the Commanders on Sunday afternoon, Washington pressured Wilson on 16 of his 45 drop-backs (36%). And when he got the opportunity to throw, he wasn’t efficient either. The quarterback wrapped up the opening night with 17-of-37 for just 168 yards without a single score. Which naturally makes everyone wonder: Could Brian Daboll bench him for rookie Jaxson Dart?

But as it turned out, the idea of swapping his starter for a rookie never even crossed Daboll’s mind. When asked if he thought about pulling Wilson, the coach shut it down right away, saying, “I did not.” The result? The Giants lost the Week 1 showdown 21-6. Of course, it wasn’t completely Wilson’s fault. But one question’s still looming over Big Apple: If Wilson’s struggles persist, will Dart get the opportunity?

On Monday, ESPN’s Dan Graziano judged the biggest overreactions for the NFL Week 1 games. Though he tried not to make it overdramatic, Graziano observed that Dart will become the Giants’ starting QB by the end of this month. Translation? Wilson now has only three games to flip the script if he wants to secure his QB1 job. The reasoning is simple as well.

We know that Daboll doesn’t want to pressure his rookie quarterback by giving him the reins before he’s ready. But when asked whether Wilson would start Week 2, the head coach wasn’t definitive. The picture seems clear: Wilson might start Week 2, but if the struggles persist, the Giants could pull the plug on the veteran quarterback. After all, the offense struggled tremendously with Wilson under the center.

The New York team managed to move the ball here and there, even getting into goal-to-goal spots, but they just couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown. They finished with 231 yards in comparison to the Commanders’ 432 yards, averaging only 4 yards per pass and 3.2 per carry. Now, if we put it in context with Dart’s point of view, the rookie quarterback turned heads in the preseason last month.

Over three exhibition games, Dart completed 32-of-47 passes for 372 yards, racked up 3 touchdowns with no picks, and had a passer rating of 113.1. Sure, the regular season is different from the preseason. And of course, Wilson carries years of experience. But one thing is clear: We might see Jaxson Dart starting for the Giants sooner than expected. The only thing, however, that came in between Dart and his QB1 job is that Daboll has confidence in Wilson.

Brian Daboll is confident with Russell Wilson as QB1

“I think the game’s simple in the sense that we didn’t convert in the red zone,” Russell Wilson shed light on the Giants’ offensive struggles after the game. “We had two chances in the red zone to make it really close game.” Sure enough. The team got very close to scoring a couple of times. The first time, they only managed a field goal. And the second time? They couldn’t even score at all. The running game was mediocre as well.

Wilson led the Giants with 44 rushing yards. As for the running backs… well, they only managed to rush for 30 yards on 15 attempts. The writing is on the wall: It was just Week 1, sure. But the Giants’ offense under Wilson’s command big time. No wonder the debate around benching the veteran for Jaxson Dart is palpable. However, Daboll has a different take on this. “Russ is our quarterback,” the HC said.

“I think what you do with your backup is you make sure you have enough packages. We’ll see where we’re at.” But when asked whether Wilson is still the QB1 next Sunday against the Cowboys, Daboll said he has confidence in Wilson, but didn’t give a particular answer. “Yes I mean we’re just right here after the game,” he added, “I got confidence in Ru – we got to do better around overall. Coaches, players, around everybody.”

They have to do better, if we’re being real. Daboll is already one of the head coaches on the hot seat after a poor outing in 2024. He can’t afford another losing season this year. Will it be Wilson or Dart under the center next Sunday? That surely remains to be seen. But expect Dart to take the reins sooner than you expected earlier this offseason.