Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo have injected youth — and a much-needed sense of optimism — into the New York Giants’ offense.
The duo’s next test could be one of their toughest yet as they prepare to visit Denver and take on the red-hot Broncos defense on Sunday in a battle of teams looking to build upon recent success.
The Giants (2-4) are coming off a 34-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Broncos (4-2) will try for their fourth straight win after knocking off the Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets in their last three contests.
Dart and Skattebo shined in the Giants’ surprise win over Philadelphia, and they will aim to take another step forward this weekend. Dart passed for 195 yards with a touchdown pass and touchdown run against the Eagles while Skattebo rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns.
“They’re very competitive individuals who have a lot of pride, toughness and belief in themselves, and I think that’s important for any team when you have players like that,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “They care about their teammates, they prepare very diligently, and I trust them a lot out on the field.”
The Giants have gone 2-1 since Dart took over at quarterback. Daboll has praised the young signal-caller and his rookie teammate at running back at every opportunity, but he also went out of his way to acknowledge that the entire team is playing better and not just the two new faces.
“I want to focus more on our football team, and I know that’s how they would want it, too,” Daboll said. “Do their job, lunch-pail mentality, improve on the things that they can improve on. But they play with an edge and they play with a style that we want our team to play with.”
Denver is playing with tenacity, as well, particularly on defense. The Broncos are coming off a hard-fought 13-11 victory over the Jets in London — a game in which they racked up nine sacks.
Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto has eight sacks in six games, but he is focused on a different statistic heading into this weekend.
“Being able to start 4-2,” he said, “is a big deal.”
The Broncos’ stingy defense has masked an inconsistent start on offense.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has posted an underwhelming 88.2 passer rating this season. He has completed 64.6% of his passes for 1,277 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.
Denver’s top receiver is Courtland Sutton, who is averaging 63.7 receiving yards per game. Top running back J.K. Dobbins is averaging 73.7 yards on the ground.
Broncos coach Sean Payton said part of the problem is that his players have committed too many penalties that halt momentum and prevent scoring drives.
“If it continues to happen, then as a coach or a teacher, we’ve not done a good enough job addressing it,” Payton said of the penalties. “So, we understand its significance.”
How does Payton plan to address the penalties and try to jump-start the offense?
“You have to look internally first,” he said. “Are we doing too much? How do we reduce the variables? And then, are there repeat offenders? Obviously, we’ve got to address it during practice if we see it.”
Denver is 2-0 at home this season. The Giants are 0-3 on the road.
