Injuries Sideline Five Young NFL Quarterbacks In Two Weeks

Five NFL starting quarterbacks who are former first-round draft picks and under age 30 have been sidelined by injury through the first two weeks of the season, according to NBC News reporting published Sept. 21-22, 2026. The most recent addition to that group is New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, who left Monday night's 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the first quarter with a left knee injury.

What happened to Jaxson Dart on Monday night?

Dart, in his second NFL season, was hit on a third-and-8 pass attempt as the pocket collapsed and a Rams linebacker drove into his left knee, according to NBC News. He was initially listed as questionable to return but was ruled out for the rest of the game. Giants general manager Joe Schoen told ESPN's Laura Rutledge during the "Monday Night Football" broadcast that "he's going to be OK," adding that Dart would undergo X-rays at SoFi Stadium, per NBC News. By Tuesday, imaging showed the injury was worse than the team initially believed, and multiple reports cited by NBC News indicated Dart could miss the remainder of the regular season.

How many young starting quarterbacks are hurt through two weeks?

Dart is the third quarterback to leave a game early in Week 2 alone, joining Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, according to NBC News. That trio joined a list that already included Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, the reigning Super Bowl champion. Five quarterbacks, two weeks into an 18-week regular season, is the tally NBC News reported as of Sept. 22.

What do these five quarterbacks have in common?

All five players NBC News named — Dart, Williams, Daniels, Murray and Darnold — were selected in the first round of their respective NFL drafts, and all five are younger than 30. The overlap in draft pedigree and age bracket is the pattern NBC News highlighted: a cohort of quarterbacks the league had positioned as its next wave of building-block passers, several of them entering 2026 with breakout expectations, now dealing with injuries simultaneously rather than in isolation.

What is the outlook for the Giants without Dart?

The injury interrupts a fast start for New York under new head coach John Harbaugh. The Giants opened the season with a win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, a result NBC News attributed largely to Dart's play. The Week 2 loss to the Rams, 28-6, came with Dart out for the majority of the game after his first-quarter exit. Dart's aggressive playing style was a storyline before the injury: NBC News reported he missed time as a rookie with a concussion and, according to preseason comments referenced in that reporting, did not change his approach once he returned to the field.

What is the medical timeline on Dart's knee injury?

The sequence NBC News laid out runs from Monday night to Tuesday. On Monday, Dart was hurt in the first quarter, briefly listed as questionable, then ruled out. Schoen's in-game comment to ESPN — "he's going to be OK" — came before X-rays were performed at the stadium. By Tuesday, imaging results led to a more serious diagnosis, with multiple reports cited by NBC News suggesting Dart's season-ending outlook. NBC News did not report a specific diagnosis term, surgery timeline, or a return-to-play date as of its Sept. 22 update, meaning the extent of the knee injury and any recovery window remain open questions pending further team statements.

The broader data point NBC News surfaces is the concentration of injuries among a specific quarterback demographic in a narrow two-week window. Five first-round, under-30 starters — spanning four different teams in four different divisions, plus the defending champion Seahawks — being sidelined simultaneously is the figure at the center of the reporting, though NBC News does not compare that rate to injury counts from prior NFL seasons or offer a league-wide baseline for context.

For readers tracking the Giants' season, Dart's exit leaves New York's offense under Harbaugh facing a quarterback change just two games into the head coach's tenure, with the team's Week 1 momentum against Dallas now paired with a Week 2 shutout-adjacent loss to the Rams and an uncertain timeline for its starter's return.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.