The only silver lining to New York Giants' no good, very bad night on 'MNF'

Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas and Brian Burns all went down with injuries in a disastrous night at SoFi Stadium

Sep 22, 2026 at 11:06 am ET • 5 min read

You hear that? That thunderous swoosh that ripped through the air on Monday night? Well, it was the air coming out of the balloon of optimism surrounding the New York Giants. 

The organization was butchered with injuries throughout their 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams to wrap up Week 2. Most notably, they lost their rising star quarterback, Jaxson Dart, on the first drive of the game. Meanwhile, pass rusher Brian Burns suffered an ankle injury late in the contest, left tackle Andrew Thomas hurt his groin, and star receiver Malik Nabers was in and out of the game with a shoulder ailment. 

To put it delicately, it was a nightmarish disaster for Giants fans. 

But is it a death sentence? What was once thought to be a possible breakout season for the organization after hiring John Harbaugh as head coach and upsetting the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener, has it really all gone up in flames this quickly? 

While it's naturally easy to feel this way and revert to looking at mocks for the 2027 NFL Draft as a coping mechanism for the presumed losses ahead without Dart, let's all take a deep breath and assess each injury one by one. When you do that, things are -- while still not great -- a bit more palatable. 

As it relates to Dart, the initial report from NFL Network surrounding his injury notes that he is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL. His X-Rays were negative, and an upcoming MRI will further clarify the injury and potentially how long he could be sidelined. 

Again, you never want to be without your ascending second-year quarterback, but it's at least encouraging that this isn't immediately being treated as a season-ending knee injury, as everyone likely feared it was when he first went down. ESPN's Laura Rutledge reported during the "Monday Night Football" contest that GM Joe Schoen told her that Dart is "going to be OK." Another report from ESPN noted that Dart tried to reenter the game in the first half, but the Giants didn't let him. Dart later appeared back on the sideline in street clothes. 

While he didn't return to the game, all of those nuggets -- especially him appearing on the sideline as the game concluded -- are encouraging signs that this is not a long-term situation. 

How long could Jaxson Dart be sidelined? 

During the contest, a clip went viral from the "Monday Night Football" broadcast of a trainer seemingly briefing John Harbaugh on Dart's status, and he can pretty clearly be seen saying "four-to-six weeks" if you read his lips.  

Is this a concrete prognosis on the Giants quarterback? Of course not, but it is noteworthy. Depending on the severity of the MCL sprain -- which will be revealed in the MRI -- that timetable does check out, however. If it's a mild MCL sprain, Dart could be looking at roughly a one-to-three-week recovery time. If it's a Grade 2 MCL sprain, that's where the four-to-six-week recovery timetable comes into play. 

Malik Nabers injures shoulder

After Dart, the Giants receiver was the next player to go down, suffering a shoulder injury in the closing seconds of the first quarter. Nabers said after the game that his shoulder "popped out and I just popped it back in." He eventually returned to the game and finished his night catching one pass on four targets. 

Nabers said that he will get an X-ray to determine the severity of the injury, but the fact that he was able to return to the game and that the training staff allowed him to suggests that he shouldn't miss time. 

Brian Burns has a low-ankle sprain

The Giants pass rusher got rolled up on late in Monday's loss and was down on the field in noticeable pain. However, he was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power, which was a positive sign. John Harbaugh revealed after the game that it's a low-ankle sprain for Burns, which is far better than him suffering a high-ankle sprain that would've sidelined him for the foreseeable future. 

"It wasn't as bad as it felt, so that's a plus," Burns said, via the New York Post. "It's getting stiff. It eases my mind to know it's not nothing serious."

Andrew Thomas has a groin injury

New York's left tackle left the game with a groin injury in the fourth quarter. When asked about his status postgame, Harbaugh was pretty vague when it comes to Thomas, saying, "We'll see about that. None of these injuries are life-threatening." 

Can the Giants stay afloat amid these injuries? 

When it comes ot Nabers, it doesn't look like he's going to miss much or any time with his shoulder. As for Burns, it could be a couple-week absence, provided further tests confirm it's a low-ankle sprain. 

Really, this comes down to Dart and how long he could be on the shelf for. If it falls into that four-week window, then injured reserve could be an option for the former first-round pick. If the Giants go that route, he'd be required to miss the next four games. When you look at New York's schedule over that stretch, it's not exactly a Murderer's Row of teams: 

• Week 3: vs. Tennessee Titans
• Week 4: vs. Arizona Cardinals
• Week 5: at Washington Commanders
• Week 6: vs. New Orleans Saints

Tennessee and Arizona are earmarked to have some of the worst records in the league when the 2026 season is said and done, and Washington just lost Jayden Daniels to an elbow injury. That makes these next three contests winnable, even with Jameis Winston under center. The toughest bout will be against the Saints, but this game will at least be played at MetLife Stadium, and New Orleans could also be looking ahead to Week 7 when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris. 

It's not an ideal circumstance to lose Dart, but it's not like you're having to face Super Bowl-caliber teams -- they just did against the Rams -- without him over the next few weeks either. 

The big question will be Winston. He struggled coming in under duress for Dart and completed just 11-of-27 passes for 111 yards and an interception. Winston's arm didn't have the same power as it once had, so Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will need to recognize that and get creative. Provided he simply protects the football and New York leans on a ground attack headlined by Cam Skattebo, with throws to Nabers and Isaiah Likley sprinkled in, they'll have a puncher's chance over these next three weeks. 

So, while it looks like the sky was falling for the Giants, it's not as terrible as it first appeared.