The rookie duo of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo combined for five touchdowns to lift the New York Giants to a historic 34-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football.
Quarterback Dart, starting just his third NFL game after being selected with the 25th pick in the 2025 Draft, threw for a touchdown and ran in another, while Skattebo – picked in the fourth round in April – rushed for 98 yards and three scores.
With their performance, Dart and Skattebo hit multiple historic marks, as well as continuing to breathe new life into a Giants organization which has struggled for success in recent years.
The pair’s infectious positivity – highlighted by their joint celebrations and clips of them addressing the camera, punctuated with Skattebo’s now-famous scream – has already made them favorites among the New York fanbase.
After the victory over the defending champion Eagles, Skattebo spoke about the relationship he and Dart have built having been drafted to the Big Apple.
“Me and him do a lot of things on the side together, talk a lot together about kind of getting this turned around,” the 23-year-old told reporters. “Not doing it on our own, but getting everyone to buy in and continue to stay positive and work to be better.
“The franchise has been a losing franchise the last couple years, but that’s not who we are right now. We need to continue to build and build and build each and every day and have these guys with positive mindsets, and get away from that losing mindset. We won the game tonight, and I felt that through these guys.”
The Giants hadn’t beaten a reigning Super Bowl champion since 1998 so Thursday’s clash against the star-studded Eagles looked like a tall task on paper.
But New York raced into a 13-3 first quarter lead, Dart rushing 20 yards for the first TD of the game before connecting with Wan-Dale Robinson for a 35-yard score.
Philadelphia rallied though, with two long touchdown drives draining the energy out of MetLife Stadium as they took a 17-13 lead midway through the second quarter.
But from that point on, it was the Dart and Skattebo show as the Eagles failed to score another point.
Skattebo scored the next three touchdowns – each culminating with his now-famous backflip and surfing celebration – to send the energy levels among the New York fans in attendance through the roof as they caught a glimpse of what could be in the years to come with Dart and the hard-nosed running back in the backfield.
Skattebo became just the second Giants rookie ever – and the first since 2011 – to rack up three rushing scores in a game, according to the NFL.
By leading his new team to victory against the Eagles, Dart became the first Giants rookie starting QB since Travis Tidwell in 1950 to earn a win over their NFC East rival.
As a duo, Dart and Skattebo became the first two Giants rookies to tally rushing scores in the same game since Larry Heater and Leon Perry in Week 10 of the 1980 season against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dart finished the game with 195 passing yards on 17-of-25 attempts, as well as 13 carries for 58 yards. In doing so, he became third quarterback in the Super Bowl era with 50-or-more rushing yards in their first three starts, joining Eagles star Jalen Hurts and two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
“I’ve liked everything about Dart since we got him,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said afterwards. “Again, he’s not perfect, it’s not gonna be perfect, whatever it may be.
“But you’ve got toughness. He sees the field well. You’ve got athleticism, vision, leadership. But it’s three games in, 2-1 as a starting quarterback. Got a lot to work on. He’ll be the first to tell you that, but he’s a leader.”
The Giants improve to 2-4 while for the Eagles, it’s a second straight loss as they fall to 4-2.
It was another worrying offensive performance for Philadelphia who, despite opening the season 4-0, have failed to consistently produce explosive offensive plays and get their star talent – notably, running back Saquon Barkly and receiver AJ Brown – involved.
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