In Week 2 of the NFL season, several young quarterbacks suffered injuries that could disrupt their promising starts to the year. Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants left a game against the Los Angeles Rams with a knee injury after taking a hard hit. Caleb Williams from the Chicago Bears was carted off with a hamstring strain during a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders dislocated his elbow while attempting to regain balance following being tripped by a teammate in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. All these players, along with Kyler Murray and Sam Darnold, are former first-round draft picks under 30 years old who have faced injury setbacks early in their careers.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Jaxson Dart, the 23-year-old quarterback for the New York Giants, is expected to undergo season-ending knee surgery after suffering severe damage to his left knee during a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. The injury includes damage to his MCL, PCL, and meniscus, though his ACL seems fine. This comes as a significant blow to the team's prospects for the rest of the season.
Dart was injured in the first quarter when he was sandwiched between multiple defenders, causing a collision with his left knee. He had only recently become the starter after an injury to Russell Wilson earlier this year. In 14 games and 12 starts during his rookie season, Dart completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.
With Dart out indefinitely, Jameis Winston, a 12-year veteran who struggled in relief against the Rams on Monday night, is set to take over as the starting quarterback. The Giants now face an uphill battle, as they were originally projected to win around 8 games for the season but are now being offered betting odds of only 5.5 wins by sportsbooks.
The timing of Dart's injury has also reignited discussions about a so-called "Trump Curse," after the quarterback was praised by then-President Donald Trump at a Republican rally in May for having legs like tree trunks, shortly before his injury occurred. This curse theory suggests that players or teams receiving presidential attention often face significant setbacks soon afterward.
Written for “Jaxson Dart Injury Giants” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 26 other(s) covering the same event.
The New York Giants were one of the NFL’s pleasant surprises in Week 1, beginning the John Harbaugh era with an impressive win over the Dallas Cowboys thanks in large part to the play of second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
asserted
Giants → begin → Dart
The Giants’ dreams of a turnaround season quickly hit a roadblock on Monday, however, as Dart became the latest upstart QB to be sidelined with an injury.
asserted
Dart → hit → injury
Only two weeks into the NFL season, the game’s young stars are seeing their seasons upended due to varying degrees of injuries.
asserted
seasons → see → injuries
Dart joined the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams and the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels as signal callers who had to leave the field early in Week 2.
asserted
who → join → Week
That trio joined a list of sidelined quarterbacks that also includes the Minnesota Vikings’ Kyler Murray and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold.
asserted
that → join → Murray
Dart left in the first quarter of New York’s 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
asserted
Dart → leave → Rams
On a third-and-8 pass attempt, Dart was sandwiched by multiple players as the pocket collapsed around him, and he took a substantial hit to his left knee from a Rams linebacker.
asserted
he → sandwich → linebacker
Dart limped off the field and was taken back to the locker room.
asserted
Dart → limp → room
After initially being ruled questionable to return, he was ruled out for good in the second half.
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he → rule → half
“He’s going to be OK,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge during the “Monday Night Football” broadcast, adding that Dart would undergo X-rays at the stadium.
asserted
Dart → go → stadium
Dart’s hard-charging play style raised eyebrows during his rookie season, when he missed time due to a concussion but seemingly refused to tone down his aggressiveness when he returned.
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he → charge → aggressiveness
During the preseason, Dart even expressed confusion at why he so often is required to enter the blue medical tent on the sidelines.
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he → express → sidelines
“I really respect the rules, and the thought behind, you know, the NFL has of keeping players healthy and reviewing things,” Dart said in August after a big hit required he undergo a mandatory medical evaluation.
asserted
he → respect → evaluation
“But at the same time, I’m still puzzled by just feeling like every time that I get hit, you know, I just find my way in there.”
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I → puzzle → way
Dart’s injury Monday, though, came on a relatively routine pass play, highlighting how no quarterback is ever truly safe.
The same can be said of the Commanders’ Daniels, who dislocated his left elbow while trying to regain his balance after he was tripped by one of his own lineman in a 37-20 loss to the Cowboys.
asserted
he → come → Cowboys
Daniels, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, dislocated the same elbow last season, in which he appeared in only seven games due to multiple injuries.
asserted
he → dislocate → injuries
“It sucks for him,” Washington coach Dan Quinn told reporters Monday.
asserted
Quinn → suck → reporters
“I know how much these guys put into it.
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guys → know → it
So, when there are setbacks like this, you just want to stand by them.”
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you → be → them
A little before Daniels’ exit, the Bears’ Williams was carted off the field with a hamstring strain in a 9-3 loss to the Vikings.
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Williams → cart → Vikings
While Williams’ emotional exit from the game quickly became a social media meme, it also cut short what had been an exciting start to the season.
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what → become → season
Chicago was coming off a Week 1 in which it had scored 59 points.
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it → come → points
“He’s right now working through every avenue that he’s got available to get back on track here.
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he → work → track
We’ll see what that looks like,” Bears coach Ben Johnson told reporters Monday.
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Johnson → see → reporters
Johnson added that Williams has an ability to recover quickly, and his injury is considered week-to-week.
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injury → add → week
While the Bears, Giants and the Commanders all lost after their starters went down, their seasons are far from over.
asserted
seasons → lose → ?
The Vikings lost Murray in Week 1 but still managed a 2-0 start to the season with Carson Wentz at the helm.
asserted
Vikings → lose → helm
And now Murray is expected to start in Week 3 after recovering from a concussion.
asserted
Murray → expect → concussion
The Seahawks are also 2-0 with Drew Lock playing in place of Darnold, and even exploded for 31 points on Sunday.
asserted
Lock → play → Sunday
Darnold is expected to return to practice this week, though his starting status is up in the air.
asserted
status → expect → air
For now, the Bears will turn to Tyler Bagent, the Giants to Jameis Winston, and the Commanders to Marcus Mariota as the three clubs try to keep their seasons afloat without their young leaders.
asserted
clubs → turn → leaders
And Dart, Williams and Daniels — all three of whom have flashed potential to not only be great players but stewards for the league because of their exciting style of play — will have to wait a little longer to cement their star turns.
asserted
three → flash → turns
The Aporia
