NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
The Washington Commanders didn’t try to hide their game plan for Jaxson Dart: They wanted to “go out to bat.”
That’s what “Hard Knocks” cameras caught head coach Dan Quinn telling his team as they prepared to face the New York Giants and the rookie sensation, who has been examined for five concussions and diagnosed with one since the preseason began.
It’s no secret that Dart uses his legs as a weapon, but the rookie has probably taken too many hits. Quinn pointed to a New England Patriots linebacker’s crushing hit on Dart two weeks ago in Dart’s return from a concussion.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
The Washington Commanders defense tries to take down New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) in the second quarter, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
“When he’s here, he’s a running back first,” Quinn said. “This is a good hit from Christian Elliss on the bench, okay? He’s not looking to drop and slide. We’ve got to come out to bat, guys.”
Dart mocked Quinn’s comments, as he does other concerns about the hits he’s taken this season, stating that his game plan is nothing he hasn’t seen before.
“I mean, [Georgia coach] Kirby Smart said the exact same thing every time he played against me, and he did it too. [former Alabama coach] Nick Saban, like all the coaches I played with in college,” Dart, an Ole Miss alum, said Wednesday after practice, via SNY. “This is nothing new. This is not something new that has come up in my career.”
Washington Commanders defensive end Jacob Martin (55) tackles New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. (Robert Deutsch/Image Images)
JOSH ALLEN REFLECTS ON THE GROWTH HE HAS ACHIEVED SINCE JOINING BILLS AND BECOME A FUTURE FATHER
Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. echoed Quinn’s sentiments.
“The quarterback is a very competitive dual-threat guy,” Whitt said in a meeting. “He’ll try to run the ball like a running back. He’ll try to run you over. He’ll try to toughen up. He doesn’t really go out of bounds. He doesn’t slide much. We can take the ball away from him. The ball is life, it’s air and we need it.”
The Commanders went on the road to defeat the Giants, 29-21, even with Marcus Mariota at the helm. Dart’s 55.6 completion percentage was his lowest mark of the season, but he rushed nine times for 63 yards.
Combine FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX news, sports and entertainment at our lowest price of the year. Offer ends January 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
Dart has even accumulated 400 rushing yards on 80 carries, seven of which have resulted in touchdowns. He’ll surely look to add to those numbers against a solid Minnesota Vikings defense on Sunday in New Jersey.
