PFF rates Jaxson Dart's strong performance as average, citing emphasis on explosive plays

Jaxson Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Giants' win over Dallas, yet Pro Football Focus (PFF) assigned him a passing grade of 68.5, which the service classifies as average. PFF said the grade reflects the quarterback's overall process rather than the final result, noting that only about 32% of Dart's dropbacks were positively graded while roughly 12% were negative. The grading methodology rewards difficult, high-impact throws and penalizes routine completions, meaning that Dart's lack of deep, explosive passes kept his score in the middle range. Similar grading patterns were observed for other quarterbacks, such as Caleb Williams, who received a 64.0 grade despite comparable statistics. PFF also tracks "big-time throws" and "turnover-worthy plays," which can affect a player's score even when they do not appear on the stat sheet. The analyst behind the article compared his own play-by-play grading with PFF's results, finding that PFF was slightly more generous in crediting Dart. He concluded that the grade stems from the service's focus on big-play potential rather than consistency, and suggested that additional metrics, like impact-based scores that emphasize results, might offer a more balanced view of quarterback performance.