How Giants' promising season changed in one nightmare game with Jaxson Dart, more injuries piling up

After their Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, John Harbaugh and the New York Giants were flying high, and fans were dreaming of a revival.

In that season-opening win, all phases of the game looked polished and in midseason form. Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart was nearly perfect at home in Week 1, with star receiver Malik Nabers returning from an ACL injury that ruined his rookie year looking his old self.

That had Giants fans dreaming of a return to form, having made the playoffs just once in the last nine seasons.

Then, it all seemingly came crashing down in one game on the west coast, with their season now hanging in the balance. Dart, who has struggled with injuries throughout his young career, suffered a knee injury, while Nabers himself picked up a shoulder injury that, while not keeping him out of the game, looked to limit him the rest of the way.

All told, the game would end in a 28-6 defeat, but beyond the final score, Giants fans will be waiting with baited breath on the injury status of multiple star players who dropped like flies at SoFi Stadium.

Will the Giants be able to work past the injuries to key players? Or has their season been sabotaged just when hope for better times finally seemed to be building?

MORE: Latest news on Dart's injury | What we know about the injury to Malik Nabers

Jaxson Dart injury

Early in the Giants' second drive of the game, disaster struck as Giants star quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered an ugly injury that had every single New York fan holding their breath.

As Dart dropped back to pass on third down, he was sandwiched by two Rams pass rushers, hit first on his front side by Byron Young and then from the blind side by blitzing linebacker Josaiah Stewart. The initial hit by Young pushed Dart's lower half into the second hit by Stewart, whose upper leg made contact with the outside of Dart's knee.

The joint hyper-extended, and it left Dart clutching his knee in pain on the turf. Giants fans feared the worst for their star quarterback, who has been fantastic in his young career but has missed considerable time with injuries.

One positive seemed to come early in the second half, when ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge said that Giants GM Joe Schoen told her that Dart "is going to be ok." That certainly sounds vague, but it at least seems to allay fears of a season-ending injury.

After the game, Ian Rapoport reported that Dart suffered a sprained MCL, and that he is "expected to miss some time," it's far from the catastrophic possible outcome of a more serious injury.

Additionally, head coach John Harbaugh said after the game that it was "not a devastating outcome" for Dart, which is a sigh of relief for the Giants. Still, they will have to navigate the time he is sidelined, with Jameis Winston under center.

MORE: Did lip readers figure out what Jaxson Dart's injury timeline is?

Malik Nabers injury

On the final play of the first quarter, the nightmare continued for Giants fans as Malik Nabers suffered what appeared to be a shoulder injury on a seemingly innocuous play near the sideline.

An out route saw Nabers targeted by backup quarterback Jameis Winston just past the first down marker, but some hand fighting with Trent McDuffie saw the ball fall to the turf incomplete. Nabers immediately grabbed his left shoulder, in a ton of pain, eventually collapsing to the ground.

It was difficult to tell exactly what happened, as the replay didn't seem to show anything that would suggest an injury occurred. Nevertheless, the Giants were now potentially staring the loss of their star quarterback and superstar wide receiver both in the same quarter.

While Nabers would eventually come back into the game midway through the second quarter, he appeared to be limited. He was targeted on an interception thrown by Jameis Winston in the end zone, into the arms of McDuffie, and then did not appear on the field for any of the Giants next four plays in their ensuing possession.

He was in and out of the lineup, but did not have another catch for the remainder of the game.

Brian Burns injury

In the fourth quarter, with the game seeming to slip away, pass rushing star Brian Burns saw his left ankle rolled up on chasing Kyren Williams on an end around.

Brian Burns down on the field after his ankle gets rolled up on pic.twitter.com/xqsr7MCFpw

He was in clear pain and could barely put any weight on it, needing help from trainers to limp off the field.

Fortunately for the Giants, Harbaugh told reporters after the game that Burns is believed to have suffered a low-ankle sprain, not the dreaded high-ankle sprain that typically costs players more time.

Andrew Thomas injury

When Brian Burns limped off the field in the fourth quarter, he was unable to get in the blue medical tent because it was already occupied by the team's undisputed leader of the offensive line, Andrew Thomas.

There was no indication exactly what happened to Thomas, but some eagle-eyed reporters claimed that he was slow to get up after a Jameis Winston fourth-down incompletion early in the fourth quarter.

Thomas would be listed as questionable to return with a groin injury, and would not return as the Rams kneeled out the game.