By Charlotte Carroll, Dan Duggan and Daniel Popper
The New York Giants earned their first win of the season, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 21-18 on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J., in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s first career start.
Dart completed 13 of 20 passes for 111 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions as the Giants (1-3) won despite losing star receiver Malik Nabers in the second quarter to what is believed to be a torn ACL.
It was the first loss of the season for the Chargers (3-1), as quarterback Justin Herbert was held to 23-of-41 passing for 203 yards. Herbert was picked off twice and threw one touchdown. He was also sacked twice and harassed throughout the game.
Like the Giants, the Chargers also endured a potentially impactful injury, losing starting left tackle Joe Alt to an ankle injury in the first quarter.
A potentially devastating loss for the Giants
What began as an exciting day for Giants fans looking toward the future turned grim with Nabers’ injury. The offense was humming, and Dart looked great, running into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. But all that changed with the deep attempt that Nabers tried to reel in before landing awkwardly.
While the official diagnosis on Nabers will come after he undergoes an MRI on Monday, the prognosis for him and the Giants is bleak. Coming off a stellar rookie season, Nabers has been a focal point of the Giants’ offense.
Nabers has been one of the most targeted receivers not only on the Giants but in the league — his 32 targets are tied for the top five in the NFL. Nabers had a down game against the Chiefs, with the Kansas City defense stifling him. But he appeared to be on the rebound in Dart’s first start Sunday with three targets before exiting.
Now the question is who will step up in Nabers’ place for the remainder of the season? Wan’Dale Robinson next leads the Giants receivers with 15 catches for 223 yards. Look to Robinson, Darius Slayton and even Dart’s go-to guy Cam Skattebo to pick up the slack. When running back Tyrone Tracy returns (shoulder), he can also impact the passing game. — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer
Chargers unusually sloppy in loss
This was a textbook trap game, and the Chargers fell into the trap. It was an uncharacteristically sloppy game from a Jim Harbaugh team. The Chargers were called for 14 penalties, tied for their most in a game since 2000, according to TruMedia. Herbert, who had been playing at an MVP level so far this season, threw two interceptions, both of which were returned deep into Chargers territory and resulted in 10 Giants points.
The defense knew it would have to defend against Dart’s legs. Jesse Minter’s unit failed in that phase, as Dart, in his first career start, rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Even with a rookie quarterback playing, the Giants converted close to half of their 14 third downs. The sloppy play extended to special teams, as punter JK Scott shanked a kick in the fourth quarter that set the Giants up in plus territory. The early East Coast starts can lead to letdowns from traveling West Coast teams. The Chargers played one of their sloppiest games under Harbaugh in this ugly loss. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer
Dart shows poise under pressure in first start
If you learned one thing about Dart, it’s that he’s tough and competitive. Dealing with a hamstring injury that was clearly bothering him ahead of halftime, Dart stayed in his starting debut till the end, taking hit after hit. He also showed incredible poise in big moments, managing to go through his reads and complete passes, like a short pass up the middle to TE Theo Johnson with 2:38 to play in the game. — Carroll
Losing Alt was huge vs. Giants’ pass rush
Alt’s injury had a massive impact on the game. The Chargers could not protect up front against the Giants’ talented trio of edge rushers, Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, who combined for 12 hits on Herbert, including two sacks. Austin Deculus replaced Alt at left tackle and struggled in his matchups with Carter, in particular. The Chargers continued to have problems protecting against stunts from the edge rushers to the interior. The pressure limited the Chargers’ playbook and led to a choppy day from the offense overall. — Popper
Spida gets the sack 💥
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/vc5dZ2Esxd
— New York Giants (@Giants) September 28, 2025
Speaking of the pass rush …
The Giants’ pass rush was dominant Sunday, wreaking havoc and causing chaos for Herbert. Burns had a big-time sack late in the fourth quarter, dropping the Chargers quarterback for a 16-yard loss. Thibodeaux also tallied a sack. Dexter Lawrence finally looked more like his old self up the middle and tallied his first career interception.
But it was rookie Carter who had a breakthrough game and was constantly in the face of Herbert, with five QB hits. Carter also caused an intentional grounding penalty, which forced the Chargers to go for a 43-yard field goal. It was an impressive performance for Carter, who’s been asked to play OLB, DT and ILB this season. — Carroll
Omarion Hampton’s breakout game
The one silver lining for the Chargers offensively: rookie Omarion Hampton had a huge day. He set a career high with 128 rushing yards on 12 carries, including a 54-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that kept the Chargers in the game. This was Hampton’s first 100-yard game in the NFL. With the way the Chargers were protecting, the offensive plan was puzzling to a degree. Hampton was dominant with the ball in his hands, but he only finished with 12 carries. The Chargers had opportunities to get him the ball more, including on a three-and-out early in the fourth quarter. — Popper
(Photo of Jaxson Dart running the ball against Alohi Gilman of the Chargers on Sunday: Ishika Samant / Getty Images)
