Extended starting opportunity awaits

Winston could be in line for an extended run as the Giants' starting quarterback after Jaxson Dart sustained a more serious knee injury than anticipated in Monday's 28-6 loss to the Rams, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report.

After exiting in the first quarter Monday, Dart received a preliminary diagnosis of a sprained MCL, an injury that typically entails a multi-week absence but typically isn't season-ending. Unfortunately for Dart, follow-up tests Tuesday seemingly revealed additional damage to his knee that could potentially lead to season-ending surgery. Dart will likely receive additional medical opinions before a treatment plan and recovery timeline is established, but with an extended absnce on tap, the door is open for Winston to direct the New York offense beginning with Sunday's game versus Tennessee. Winston averaged a healthy 8.6 yards per attempt between two starts and one brief appearance off the bench with the Giants a season ago, but he was highly inefficient in relief of Dart in his 2026 debut Monday, completing just 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.