EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Russell Wilson will remain the New York Giants' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, coach Brian Daboll said Monday.
Daboll had been noncommittal on Wilson retaining the job after his performance in Sunday's 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders when the Giants didn't score a touchdown. Daboll said on his videoconference call Monday with reporters that there was never a serious decision to make despite rookie Jaxson Dart waiting in the wings.
"No," Daboll said. "Russ will be the starter."
Wilson went 17-of-37 passing for 168 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the season-opening loss. He was especially ineffective under pressure, completing just 2 of 12 passes for 26 yards with two sacks and two scrambles. New York managed just 231 yards of total offense and stalled twice in the red zone.
Still, it's only one game and the Giants (0-1) signed Wilson, 35, this offseason to be the starter. At least for the start of the season.
That will remain for one more week at least, although Daboll provided no indication he's close to a move.
"After a game, it's an emotional game, tough game, didn't play particularly well I would say collectively, in terms of making any of those decisions really at any position or schematic changes, I like to do it with a clear head and watch the tape.
"Again, like I said [Sunday], that game just doesn't fall on Russell Wilson. We have to do a better job collectively -- coaching, planning. But Russ will be the starter."
Dart served as the backup to Wilson in Sunday's game. The Giants even had a special package ready for Dart. They did not use it in the contest.
Veteran Jameis Winston was the emergency third quarterback.
Dart, selected by the Giants in the first round of this year's draft, took the majority of second-team reps throughout the summer and impressed during preseason games, completing 32 of 47 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions while also rushing for a touchdown. After the Giants traded back into the first round for him, he became considered their quarterback of the future.
That future is not now even if it was an ugly opener for Wilson and the offense. Daboll saw enough to stick with the plan.
"I'd say [Wilson] made good decisions," Daboll said. "Again, we missed on, again, the one-on-one matchups, sometimes it's the throws, sometimes it's a contested catch. It's a collective. It's not just Russ. It's the entire offense, everybody."
But this is the situation that Wilson and Winston came to in New York. They knew there was a possibility the Giants would select a quarterback high in this year's draft. That, inevitably, would start the clock toward that player getting onto the field sooner rather than later.
Dart's strong summer and preseason only expedited the talk about him being the starter. Wilson said after Sunday's loss that he doesn't feel any extra pressure from the situation. That's not the way he thinks.
"No, I just focus on what we can control. I thought we competed our butts off [Sunday]," Wilson said. "That was a physical game. I thought we left it all on the field. We gave it our all physically. You stand tall in the midst of that game. Battling through it and trying to find a way to win. Like I said, they stopped us in the red zone. I think that was the name of this game. We had, I think, eight or nine possessions; two of them were down in the red zone. We didn't capitalize on those, so that's what we got to do."
Daboll and the Giants will have to balance the urge to see the young quarterback vs. being patient with a veteran quarterback who isn't what he once was. Wilson is a 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback and Super Bowl winner on his fourth team in five years.
Still, there is better football in him than he showed Sunday. At least that is what the Giants believe, even if they are preparing Dart weekly to play.
"I have confidence in Russ, and we're doing everything we can do every week to develop Jaxson," Daboll said. "[Dart] spends a lot of time in the building, a lot of time after practice going through things he has to go through to be called upon and be ready to go.
"That is what we'll continue to do."