For rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, the most important lesson from Sunday’s sideline between the New York Giants and New England Patriots brawl didn’t come from the opposing defense, but from his own coach, who placed the blame squarely on his shoulders. Tim Kelly had an inward view of the play, explaining how Dart should have handled things.

“He’s got to get everything he can and then make sure he’s clearly out of bounds so he’s not exposing himself. Our guys went to protect him, which you love to see. Obviously, it hurt the team because of the penalty. Again, it comes down to awareness,” Kelly said on December 11.

Jaxson Dart loves to run down the field when he can’t find an open receiver. That’s what happened on the 2nd & 13 play at 4:27 in the first quarter. When the rookie got the ball, he turned to his right and started running along the right sideline. At the snap, linebacker Christian Eliss kept an eye on Dart and ran to his left.

While the cameras show left tackle James Hudson on the quarterback’s tail, Eliss came running and hit Dart out of bounds. Fans were scared of the brutal hit on their rookie. Tight end Theo Johnson got angry and shoved Eliss on the sidelines as players from both sides were engaged in separating the players.

Kelly’s message is clear. Jaxson Dart needs to protect himself. He is crucial to their chances of getting more wins in the season. Moreover, the Giants see him as their next franchise quarterback. Though he came back healthy from the play, ignoring such minor mistakes could lead to a colossal disaster.

However, a portion of fans argued that the hit was unnecessary. The Giants’ offensive coordinator didn’t agree.

Tim Kelly sees no fault with the Patriots in Jaxson Dart’s hit

The Patriots won their 11th game of the season, while it was the Giants’ 11th loss. However, the Pats didn’t break any rules.

“That was a clean hit. Those guys were playing hard. We were playing hard,” Tim Kelly said.

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The league also stated clearly that Dart was inside the lines when he got hit. So, they gave a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, pushing the Giants back to the 24-yard line. It forced them to punt, and the Pats went on to score a touchdown, making the score 17-0 in the first quarter itself.

Overall, Jaxson Dart finished the game by completing 17 of 24 passes (71% completion rate) for 139 passing yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball four times for 20 rushing yards. But the real question is his safety. The rookie doesn’t see any problems with his technique.