Giants stick with Russell Wilson at QB in Week 2 after discouraging debut loss to Commanders

On the heels of a discouraging season-opener against the Washington Commanders, the New York Giants stuck with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Coach Brian Daboll announced Monday that Wilson will start for the Giants against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. First-round rookie Jaxson Dart remains second string with an expected role in the game plan.

Immediately after the Giants’ 21-6 loss, Daboll was noncommittal about whether Wilson would start moving forward. At the time, Daboll declined to confirm that was the case but reaffirmed his “confidence” in Wilson.

“We’re gonna get home, look at our game. Collectively we’ve all got to do better,” Daboll said. “We’re just right here, after the game, I’ve got confidence in Russell. We’ve got to better around overall, players, coaches, around everybody. We’ll get focused and ready to go on Dallas. … We’re talking about after every game. I’ve got confidence in Russ. So we’re gonna go back, we’ll evaluate the tape.

“This game isn’t on Russell Wilson. It’s not on Russell Wilson. I want to make that clear. I have confidence in Russ, we’ve got to do a better job all the way around.”

Wilson’s first game as Giant immediately sparked a quarterback controversy. The veteran quarterback completed just 17 of his 37 passing attempts for 168 yards, and he missed star receiver Malik Nabers on multiple downfield throws that could have resulted in big plays.

A shaky Giants offensive line certainly didn’t help matters. Wilson took two sacks, and the Commanders pass rush affected his mental clock. As the game progressed, Wilson looked to bail on relatively clean pockets more than once.

With Dart waiting in the wings, how much leash does Wilson have left with Daboll needing to turn things around sooner than later? Dart was impressive in the preseason, completing 32 of 47 passing attempts for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. If Wilson gets off to a slow start against the Cowboys on Sunday, the calls for Dart will only grow louder in New York.