In these days of the overprotection of quarterbacks and the prevalence of the safety slide in the NFL–all good ideas for player protection, of course–it’s rare to see a linebacker deliver the kind of Chuck Bednarik-style hit that the Patriots‘ Christian Elliss unloaded on Giants QB Jaxson Dart in the first quarter of New England’s 33-15 win on Monday night.
Dart was scrambling up the sideline seeking a first down when Elliss came steaming across the field and sent him sprawling into the sideline. After the hit, which certainly set a tone for a very active Patriots defense in the game, Elliss was naturally pumped up. He was seeking to find his teammates to celebrate.
But Giants tight end Theo Johnson instead went after Elliss and dragged him into a sideline brawl, for which Johnson was issued a 15-yard penalty. Elliss was taken by surprise by the whole thing.
Christian Elliss ‘Shocked’ By Sideline Fight
Speaking to the Patriots postgame show as Monday became Tuesday, Elliss said that in the moment, Johnson’s aggression caught him off guard.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it, I was shocked—I shouldn’t have been shocked. But I was shocked when he tried to hit me like that,” Elliss said.
He did say he was ready for some kind of reaction from the Giants, though.
“I expected it,” Elliss said. “That was great, I’d expect the same from our offense. For me, I was so excited about the hit, I was more ready to go celebrate with my teammates, so I tried to get out of there as fast as I could and go celebrate with my guys.”
Patriots Made Jaxson Dart Pay
After the loss to the Patriots, there were no hard feelings from Dart, even though New England’s defenders rang his bell on at least two occasions with tough hits.
“Scrambling out of the pocket, trying to get the first down and (Elliss) made a good hit,” he said.
Dart was pressed on leaving himself too open for the kind of hit he took on Monday.
“I understand the question, but this is football,” he said. “Like, I’m going to get hit if I’m in the pocket or outside the pocket. I feel like I played this way my whole entire life. It shouldn’t be any shocker to anybody if you followed along with my career. We’re not playing soccer out here. You’re going to get hit. Things happen. It’s just part of the game.”
GettyJaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants reacts after losing to the New England Patriots the game at Gillette Stadium on December 01, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Christian Ellis, Patriots Ready for Bye
For the Patriots and Christian Elliss, who had a team-high 10 tackles, the defensive effort on Monday was a satisfying one. The Giants are 2-11, but they’ve shown a potent offense that has given other top teams fits–they’ve averaged 25.3 points per game in seven games coming into Week 13. But the Patriots held them down most of the night.
Now, the Patriots get a much-needed bye week.
“This bye week is a good opportunity to self-reflect, to look at what we did do good and what we need to work on,” Elliss said. “I think that is the thing with this bye week, just getting better even when we aren’t playing a Sunday night game or whatever game it is. Take the opportunity to self-reflect and grow from it.”
Patriots’ Christian Elliss ‘Shocked’ by Fight After Big Hit