The Jaxson Dart collision looked brutal, but the real story behind the Patriots’ play tells a different truth. DH

En route to the New England Patriots’ 33-15 win over the New York Giants, linebacker Christian Elliss made headlines for his hard hit on rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

When asked postgame about his hit that laid out rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and started a brief fight, New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss’s response was simple — “Make sure to slide.”

Facing a second-and-13 from the New York Giants’ 27-yard-line late in the first quarter, Dart escaped the pocket and scrambled towards his right as he looked to get the first down. Elliss then closed in ahead of the first-down marker, lowered his shoulder and promptly popped the QB down. This hit lead to a brief altercation between the Giants and Patriots. But postgame to the media, Elliss said all he was trying to do was his job on the New England defense.

“During the play I saw the scramble, I started chasing him down,” Elliss said. “He started tiptoeing on the sidelines and I thought he was just going to go out of bounds but then I saw him tiptoeing, stay inbounds, what am I supposed to do? We play hard on defense, we try to bring life to this team. That’s all I was trying to do, do my job and hit anything in the whites”

Jaxson Dart, Mike Vrabel Weigh In on Elliss Hit

One could argue that this hit did set the tone for the Patriots domination over the Giants, with New England going on to win the game 33-15. This extended the Patriots win streak to 10 consecutive victories and brings them to an overall record of 11-2.

However, it is worth mentioning that perhaps the reason the Giants were so quick to come to Dart’s defense was that the game at Gillette Stadium marked his first game back in action following spending the past two prior matchups in concussion protocol.

But nevertheless, Dart said hits like he took from Elliss are just a natural part of the game.

Dart concluded the matchup by being sacked twice and completed 17 passes on 24 attempts for 139 yards and one touchdown.

New England Head Coach Mike Vrabel said the hit Dart took from Elliss should serve as a reminder to Patriots’ QB Drake Maye to be cautious when scrambling outside the pocket.

“That’s a weekly reminder to the quarterback — our quarterback. We show him every week. I mean, I wouldn’t get too cute over there by the sidelines,” Vrabel said of what he wants Maye to take away from Dart’s actions in the first quarter. “It happens every week. Christian’s playing through the whistle, and as long as the player’s in bounds, he’s gonna try to hit him legally.”

Maye finished the matchup over the Giants by throwing for 282 yards and two TDs on 24 completions. His name remains in whispers for MVP contention.