Giants, Jaxson Dart ready to be tested vs. Broncos' stout defense
Denver Broncos defensive tackle Malcolm Roach and linebacker Nik Bonitto after beating the Jets in London last Sunday. Credit: AP/Kin Cheung
Jaxson Dart’s poise has been an early hallmark of his brief tenure as the Giants starting quarterback. But if there’s one thing keeping him up later than usual, it’s what lies ahead in Denver on Sunday.
“This week, we got a really good defense to go against,” Dart said Wednesday. “So that’s what keeping me up, and trying to just prepare as much as I can.”
The rookie’s second road start comes against one of the NFL’s best defenses. It’s one thing for the Broncos to have the NFL’s sack leader in linebacker Nik Bonitto. But linebacker Jonathon Cooper is coming off a two-sack performance last week against the Jets. Eleven different Broncos have at least one sack through six games.
Yet it’s Bonitto who’s earned plenty of attention with eight sacks, and four consecutive games with at least one sack. The fourth-year linebacker was an second-team All-Pro last season with 13.5 sacks and he’s on pace to surpass that total
“He does a really good job of getting off the ball,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “He has good bend at the top of the rush, but a lot of speed guys, normally they don't have great power. But what makes him unique is he can power rush as well. So, you have to be ready for both."
However, as coach Brian Daboll noted Wednesday, it’s not just about slowing down Bonitto. The Broncos (4-2) can affect the quarterback with multiple rushers and the secondary is bolstered by cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
It’s not a surprise the Broncos lead the NFL in sacks, third-down defense, red-zone defense and fewest yards per play allowed.
“You can't have a plan for all of them. They all can rush,” Daboll said. “They're just really good. They play good coverage, complemented with the front. They disguise well. They're as good as it gets right now.”
It’s the perfect way to test how much Dart learned after his first road start did not go well. He was visibly frustrated two weeks ago walking off the field after his second interception in New Orleans.
The offense wilted inside Caesars Superdome with turnovers on five straight drives. So Dart’s biggest takeaway? Lean into his cool when facing the heat from bad moments.
“You got to be able to weather the storm. Not everything’s going to be perfect,” Dart said. “There’s going to be mistakes. There’s going to be momentum shifts throughout every game. I think for us just trying to weather all that, regardless if good things that are happening or bad things, [we want to] be able to reset each and every play to try to put our team in the best situation.”
It’s helped that the Giants have gotten out to fast starts with touchdowns on their last three opening drives. If there’s a weak spot in this Broncos defense, it’s that they’ve forced just four turnovers.
Of course, that might not matter with how they’ve frustrated teams on third down. The Broncos have faced 54 plays on third-and-6 or longer and allowed just 10 conversions (18.5%).
It’s why this game is another growing moment for Dart and another chance for the Giants’ offense to prove they've turned a corner after last Thursday's win.
“We want to play against the best,” Thomas said of the Broncos. “They’re one of the most talented groups up front. So, we’re definitely excited for the challenge.
Holland, Adebo have contracts restructured
The Giants restructured Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland’s contracts Wednesday to create more than $4.8 million in cap space, according to an ESPN report. Prior to that, the Giants were $2.5 million under the salary cap.
This creates more salary flexibility ahead of the trade deadline on Nov. 4.
Blue notes
WR Darius Slayton (hamstring), C John Michal Schmitz (concussion protocol), LB Swayze Bozeman (ankle) and LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring) didn’t practice Wednesday. Austin Schlottman took all of the first-team reps at center . . . CB Deonte Banks was also absent after he became a father of twins, Daboll said, and is expected back Thursday.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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