Jaxson Dart to have season-ending knee surgery

The Giants' worst fears have been confirmed.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, Jaxson Dart will have season-ending knee surgery after just one-plus games in his second NFL season. Per the report, Dart's ACL is intact, but he suffered damage to the meniscus, MCL, and PCL.

Dart left Monday night's game after just seven plays when he took a hit in the backfield while uncorking a deep pass, and his knee seemed to bend in an unnatural direction. He limped off the field under his own power before heading down the tunnel. He reemerged in the second half on the Giants sidelines in street clothes, even telling head coach John Harbaugh that he wanted to return to the game.

General manager Joe Schoen told ESPN during Monday's loss to the Rams that Dart was "going to be OK," and even Harbaugh told reporters after the game that there was a sense of relief that Dart had avoided the worst. Further testing a day later obliterated that optimism, as Harbaugh changed his tone and told reporters that the team was still waiting for all the information before determining a recovery timeline.

Under this latest timeline, Dart should make a full recovery, but his promising sophomore campaign is done, severely altering expectations in year one under Harbaugh. Jameis Winston takes over under center, coming off a brutal showing in relief of Dart in Week 2.

Big Blue has a softer part of the schedule coming up, starting with the Titans on Sunday afternoon.