Two franchise quarterbacks suffered lower-body injuries in Week 2. One went down with a reported MCL injury to his left knee that could result in him being sidelined for weeks, while the other suffered what is being described as a Grade 1 hamstring strain and, as of this writing, has yet to be ruled out for his team’s Week 3 contest.
If you had to guess which of the two quarterbacks walked off the field and into the locker room on his own power, you’d go with the second quarterback. If you were forced to pick which of the two was carted off the field and sobbed with a towel over his head, you’d understandably go with quarterback number one.
And you’d be wrong.
Jaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants walks off the field after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter of the game at SoFi Stadium on September 21, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) (Harry How/Getty Images)
GIANTS’ JAXSON DART TRIED TO REENTER GAME WITH KNEE INJURY BUT HAD JERSEY TAKEN AWAY: REPORTS
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart took an awkward, mid-air hit during the first quarter of his team’s eventual loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night and did not return to the game. His left knee was forced into a position that knees are not meant to be in, and it was later reported that he was dealing with an issue with his MCL.
While early reports indicate that Dart and the Giants have avoided a worst-case scenario with the knee injury, it was a gruesome sequence, but it didn’t stop the second-year signal caller from walking off the turf with a slight limp.
A quarterback showing his toughness and walking away after a painful injury is a common occurrence, but given what transpired with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams less than 24 hours earlier, Dart walking off the field created quite the juxtaposition.
Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears is carted off the field after an injury against the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter at Soldier Field on Sept. 20, 2026, in Chicago, Ill. (Getty Images)
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Williams went down with a non-contact injury during the fourth quarter of the Bears’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon, and based on his reaction in real time, it was very easy to assume he had suffered a very serious injury.
Williams reached back and grabbed his left leg as he slid to the turf, a typical sign of an Achilles injury, and then rolled around on the field, screaming in pain.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams grimaces in pain after going down during a run in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The former USC star was then helped onto the back of a medical cart to be taken off the field. As soon as it was revealed that Williams had suffered what was more or less just a pulled hamstring, the emotional scene instantly turned into an all-time great sports meme with folks across social media ripping into the face of the Bears franchise.
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Clearly, Williams was both in serious pain and under the assumption that he had suffered an injury that could derail the rest of his season.
While that is thankfully not the case, his overly dramatic exit from the game has opened him up to fair criticism.