Just a week ago, Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart sat side by side on a somber flight home from New Orleans, replaying in their minds the turnovers that cost the New York Giants a winnable game against the Saints. This week, the rookie tandem wrote a completely different story — one that silenced their critics and shocked the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Behind a three-touchdown performance from Skattebo and a poised, dual-threat effort from Dart, the Giants stunned the Philadelphia Eagles 34-17 on Thursday night, snapping a seven-game skid against their NFC East rivals and handing Philadelphia (4-2) its second straight loss.
“We talked all week about responding,” said head coach Brian Daboll. “Those two young guys took it to heart. They played fearless football.”
After both committing costly fumbles in last week’s loss, Skattebo and Dart were determined to make amends. They did exactly that.
Skattebo, the bruising rookie running back out of Arizona State, bulldozed his way into the end zone three times — from 4 yards out and twice from the 1 — while posting a career-best 98 rushing yards on 19 carries. He also caught two passes for 12 yards, providing a punishing spark to the Giants’ offense.
Dart, who threw two interceptions and lost a fumble against the Saints, showed maturity beyond his years. He ran for a 20-yard touchdown in the second quarter, then connected with Wan’Dale Robinson on a 35-yard catch-and-run score to seal the game in the fourth. Dart completed 17 of 26 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown while adding 46 yards on the ground.
Dart briefly left the game after taking a big hit but cleared concussion protocol and returned to lead a decisive fourth-quarter drive.
The Giants’ defense played its most complete game of the season, sacking Jalen Hurts three times and forcing his first interception since the Super Bowl. Edge rusher Brian Burns continued his dominant start to the year with two sacks, tying him for the NFL lead with seven.
Cor’Dale Flott delivered the defensive play of the night, picking off Hurts in the fourth quarter and racing 68 yards down the sideline to set up Skattebo’s third touchdown.
“It felt good to finally make a play against that offense,” Flott said. “They’re explosive, but we stayed disciplined.”
Hurts finished 21 of 34 for 234 yards with one interception. He threw a shovel-pass touchdown to tight end Dallas Goedert and powered his way into the end zone on the Eagles’ trademark “tush push” — which Philadelphia ran four consecutive times in the second quarter before breaking through.
But costly mistakes and defensive breakdowns doomed the Eagles, who have now dropped consecutive games for the first time since their late-season collapse in 2023. Hurts missed a wide-open DeVonta Smith on a third-quarter deep shot that could have changed momentum, overthrowing him by several yards.
Thursday’s victory was just the Giants’ fourth in their last 18 meetings with the Eagles and their first since January 2024, when they ended Philadelphia’s season in the Wild Card round.
“This was about belief,” Dart said. “Everybody outside this locker room counted us out, but we never stopped believing.”
The win moves the Giants to 2-4, injecting some much-needed life into a season that appeared to be slipping away.
The Giants (2-4) will travel to Denver on Oct. 19 to face the Broncos, while the Eagles (4-2) look to regroup when they visit the Minnesota Vikings the same day.
For now, though, New York will savor a statement win — one led by two rookies who refused to let last week’s mistakes define them.
