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USATSI

After sitting on the bench for the first three games of the season, Jaxson Dart finally got to make the first start of his career Sunday. It was a memorable one, with the rookie quarterback leading the New York Giants to 21-18 upset win over the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Dart was impressive in his debut. He didn't put up huge numbers, but he kept the Giants offense moving, especially with his legs, rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Dart also threw a touchdown pass in the win. 

Thanks to the win, Dart became the first quarterback in 23 years to win his first career start over a team that's 3-0 or better. The Chargers were 3-0 going into Sunday's matchup at MetLife Stadium. 

Before Dart came along, the last time it happened came in 2002 when Marc Bulger led the 0-5 Rams to a stunning upset win over the Raiders, who were 4-0 and favored by seven points. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, there were only five quarterbacks who pulled off the feat prior to Dart. Here's the full list: 

  • 1979: Giants QB Phil Simms. If Dart pulls off a win, he wouldn't even be the first Giants QB to join this rare club, because Simms was the first to do it. Back in 1979, he led the 0-5 Giants, who were six-point underdogs, to a 17-14 win over the 5-0 Buccaneers. Simms didn't have a banner day -- he only threw for 37 yards -- but he got plenty of help from running back Billy Taylor, who rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants defense also forced three turnovers in the win. Simms ended up going 6-5 as a rookie, which the Giants would gladly take with Dart. As a matter of fact, the team would probably love to see Dart emulate Simms' career since the Giants' legend ended up winning two Super Bowls in New York. 
  • 1989: Bills QB Frank Reich. With Jim Kelly injured, the 3-2 Bills started Reich for their Week 6 game against the 5-0 Rams. Reich ended up leading Buffalo to a wild 23-20 win that saw him throw an 8-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Andre Reed in the final 20 seconds. Overall, Reich threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns for the Bills, who were 3.5-point underdogs. Reich ended up starting three games for Kelly in 1989 and went 3-0 in those games. 
  • 1992: Packers QB Brett Favre. After an injury to Don Majkowski in Week 3, Favre got the first start of his career in Week 4 of the 1992 season with the 1-2 Packers facing the 3-0 Steelers, who were favored by 3.5 points. Favre threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard score to Sterling Sharpe, in Green Bay's 17-3 win. Favre went 8-5 in his first season as the Packers' starting quarterback, thus starting the legend of the Ol' Gunslinger.  
  • 1999: 49ers QB Jeff Garcia. In the first start of his career, Garcia had to face a 3-0 Titans team that eventually made it to the Super Bowl in 1999. The 49ers quarterback was forced to start in Week 4 against Tennessee after Steve Young suffered what turned out to be a career-ending concussion in Week 3. Garcia threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns while leading the 49ers to a 24-22 win over the Titans. Although Garcia made his first career start in 1999, he wasn't exactly a rookie. He spent five seasons in the CFL before signing with the 49ers. 
  • 2002: Rams QB Marc Bulger. In a 28-13 win over the Raiders, Bulger got a lot of help from his rushing attack with Marshall Faulk going off for 158 yards on the ground. Although Bulger didn't put up eye-popping numbers -- he threw for just 186 yards -- he did throw three touchdown passes. The Rams defense also forced three very big turnovers. 
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Not only did Dart join an exclusive club with the five players above, but he also became the first rookie quarterback to beat Jim Harbaugh's Chargers. Going into Sunday, Harbaugh had faced four rookies since taking over as the Chargers' head coach last season, and his team had gone 4-0.

Dart was the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after the Giants traded up to make him their quarterback of the future, and for New York, that future officially started on Sunday.