Jaxson Dart has shown early in his career that he’s unafraid to take a hit, and he took a big one on Monday.

The New York Giants’ rookie quarterback attempted to scramble for the first down but got rocked by New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss along the sideline.

The hit from Elliss led to a brief scuffle between Giants’ and Patriots’ players.

It makes sense why the Patriots wanted to protect their quarterback after the hit, considering he’s missed the last two games with a concussion. Taking big hits like the one Elliss delivered isn’t exactly ideal in his first game back.

But Dart also admitted that he needs to do better to avoid taking hits that could leave him injured. The Ole Miss product clearly isn’t a fan of sliding, but said it’s something he’ll try to get better at.

“I’m still getting used to this game. I’m getting used to this speed, this level,” Dart told reporters last week. “In college, you can watch my tape, I very rarely slid. This is a different beast. For me, I have to obviously be more responsible when I’m in the open field. But I felt I was getting better at it each and every week.”

Dart, the 25th overall pick in this year’s draft, has had a strong start to his NFL career. Through nine games, he’s thrown for 1,417 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, adding 317 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground.

Despite an Offensive Rookie of the Year-worthy campaign from Dart, the Giants have struggled this year, coming into Monday’s matchup 2-10 on the season. While it’s been another year of rebuilding for New York, the future looks bright with Dart under center.