Just like that, Jaxson Dart's sophomore season with the New York Giants is over. The quarterback injured his left MCL and meniscus on the opening drive of the Giants' Week 2 game, wiping away all the optimism from the arrival of coach John Harbaugh and a season-opening win against the Dallas Cowboys. He is expected to have season-ending knee surgery, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo Wednesday.

This was supposed to be the season the Giants made the jump after seven wins in the past two seasons combined. Dart looked primed to become one of the league's better quarterbacks. And then it all came to a crashing halt five plays into the second game, when he was high-lowed by Rams edge rushers Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart.

As one NFL assistant coach said after watching their first two games, they "still have a lot of holes" on their roster. But with Dart, the Giants could've been a playoff contender. Now they'll be lucky to flutter around .500 with veteran Jameis Winston as their starter. "Jameis is one of our guys who obviously is here for a reason," Harbaugh said. "He's a very good football player." He's just not anywhere near as dynamic as Dart and struggled mightily in Monday night's 28-6 loss to the Rams.

It seems premature to conclude serious concerns about Dart's viability as their QB of the future considering his injury history.