The East Coast meets the West Coast on Monday Night Football in Week 2 of the NFL. The New York Giants, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart, visit reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and the chip-on-their-shoulder Los Angeles Rams in an early yet crucial NFC-implications matchup.
While Puka Nacua’s status for the Week 2 game between the Giants and Rams remains up in the air, there are no doubts about who will play under center. John Harbaugh will rely on Dart to guide the Giants to victory and the G-Men’s first 2-0 start since the 2022 NFL season. As for Sean McVay, he is counting on Stafford to brush off the dust after his rough Week 1 outing in Melbourne, Australia.
It would take a disaster, unfortunate injury, or a big blowout for either New York or Los Angeles to send their backup quarterbacks onto the field, but they both have confidence in them, regardless. Just as the Giants’ and Rams’ running back depth charts for Week 2 are filled with talent, the quarterback rooms in both the City of Angels and the Big Apple are stacked, too.
Backup quarterbacks for Giants at Rams in Week 2
The former first overall pick in 2015, Jameis Winston, will be the Giants’ backup quarterback behind Dart on Monday night. Even if he isn’t on the gridiron, Winston never fails to make his presence felt on the sidelines, and NFL fans should expect no different under the lights in Inglewood, California.
Stetson Bennett (left) and Jameis Winston (right).
The Rams’ second-string quarterback will be Stetson Bennett IV, the two-time NCAA national champion with the Georgia Bulldogs (2021 and 2022) and a former fourth-round pick in 2023.
Emergency quarterbacks for Rams vs Giants
It’s only on rare occasions that third-string, emergency quarterbacks see the field in the NFL, but it’s always a non-zero chance, regardless. Anything can happen, and teams must stay prepared.
The Giants, however, are rocking a two-man QB room on the active roster and haven’t announced a promotion for practice-squad QB Jake Haener. Thus, if anything happens to both Dart and Winston, it might be time to improvise. If all else fails, Odell Beckham Jr. (who has two touchdown passes to his name in his NFL career) could be lined up at quarterback.
The Rams, on the other hand, do have a third, emergency quarterback on the active roster, none other than 13th overall pick, rookie out of Alabama Ty Simpson.
| Depth chart | NY Giants | LA Rams |
| QB1 | Jaxson Dart | Matthew Stafford |
| QB2 | Jameis Winston | Stetson Bennett IV |
| QB3 | — | Ty Simpson |
Dart and Stafford’s stats after Week 1
Dart and the Giants, and Stafford and the Rams couldn’t have had more different starts to the 2026 NFL season. Not only because New York played at home while Los Angeles traveled all the way to the Land Down Under, but also because the G-Men put on a statement performance while the Rams spiraled out of control.
As a result, Dart started the season with a 230-yard, three-touchdown, zero-turnover, 54-rushing-yard performance, while Stafford registered 155 yards, no touchdown passes, and an interception in his debut. More importantly, Dart and the Giants started the year 1-0, whereas Stafford’s Rams are 0-1.
Key takeaways
- Matthew Stafford starts for the Rams and Jaxson Dart leads the Giants on Monday Night Football.
- Stetson Bennett and Jameis Winston, respectively, are the backup QBs.
- Ty Simpson is the third-emergency QB for the Rams, while the Giants haven’t designated one.
