How Jaxson Dart felt about huge hit from Patriots LB Christian Elliss

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How Jaxson Dart felt about huge hit from Patriots LB Christian Elliss

Chris Mason · MassLive

Tue, Dec 2, 2025 ·

2 min read

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FOXBOROUGH — As Jaxson Dart tried to scramble for a first down along the sideline in the first quarter against the Patriots , the Giants rookie quarterback opted not to go out of bounds and absorbed a punishing hit from linebacker Christian Elliss .

Dart went airborne, and the New York sideline immediately went after Elliss.

The only flag on the play went to Giants tight end Theo Johnson for unnecessary roughness in the skirmish that ensued. The officials deemed Elliss' massive hit legal and he wasn't penalized for it.

So what did Dart himself see on the play?

"Scrambling out of the pocket, trying to get the first down and (Elliss) made a good hit," Dart said after New York's 33-15 loss.

Dart, who just missed two games with a concussion, was asked whether there was anything he would have done differently to protect himself.

"I understand the question, but this is football," Dart replied. "Like, I'm going to get hit if I'm in the pocket or outside the pocket. I feel like I played this way my whole entire life. It shouldn't be any shocker to anybody if you followed along with my career. We're not playing soccer out here. You're going to get hit. Things happen. It's just part of the game."

Down the hall, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said he believed Elliss' hit gave his team a lift — and served as a reminder to Drake Maye that it's important to get out of bounds.

"I think our guys certainly did (get a lift)," Vrabel said. "I think our fans did. I think our team did. It's a weekly reminder to the quarterback, our quarterback: We show them every week, I wouldn't get too cute over there by the sidelines. It happens every week. So Christian's playing through the whistle, and as long as the player's inbounds he's going to try to hit him legally."

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