Week 1 — September 13, 2026

The New York Giants couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the 2026 season. In John Harbaugh’s first game as head coach, the Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 in a game that was much more impressive than the final eight-point difference might suggest.

New York controlled the ball, dominated third down, ran the football effectively, and got a huge defensive play at exactly the right time. The Giants weren’t perfect—in fact, they made plenty of mistakes—but they made fewer costly mistakes than Dallas.

For a team beginning a new era, it was a very encouraging opening night.

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FIRST QUARTER: THE GIANTS COME OUT SWINGING

The Giants wasted no time showing Dallas what kind of team they wanted to be.

New York opened the game with an 83-yard touchdown drive. The Giants ran the ball seven times during the drive, and rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart even broke loose for a 22-yard run.

Cam Skattebo finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Giants 7, Cowboys 0.

The Giants continued to control the first quarter. They moved the ball, converted third downs, and kept Dallas’ offense sitting on the sideline.

After one quarter, New York had seven first downs compared with only two for Dallas.

The Cowboys eventually answered when Dak Prescott found CeeDee Lamb for a 1-yard touchdown.

Giants 7, Cowboys 7.

At that point, it looked like Dallas had finally settled down.

Then the game changed.

SECOND QUARTER: A HUGE TURNOVER CHANGES EVERYTHING

The Giants made one of their biggest mistakes when running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. fumbled near the Dallas goal line.

It was a painful mistake because New York was threatening to score.

Dallas recovered, and suddenly the Cowboys had a chance to take control.

But the Giants’ defense came up with the play they needed.

Jevon Holland intercepted Prescott late in the first half.

It was a fantastic play, but the Giants’ pass rush deserves some credit, too. Kayvon Thibodeaux pressured Prescott and helped force him out of his normal throwing position.

Holland made a sliding interception and gave the Giants the ball back.

New York didn’t waste the opportunity.

Jaxson Dart quickly moved the Giants down the field, and with only 20 seconds remaining in the half, Dart threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely.

Halftime: Giants 14, Cowboys 7.

That interception and touchdown were enormous.

Dallas had gone from having a chance to take the lead to watching the Giants score instead.

It was one of the biggest momentum swings of the game

THIRD QUARTER: NEW YORK TAKES CONTROL

The Giants came out of halftime and put together one of their best drives of the night.

The drive lasted 12 plays, covered 74 yards and took more than eight minutes off the clock.

That is exactly the kind of drive a coach loves.

Instead of giving Dallas the football, the Giants kept Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense standing on the sideline.

Dart finished the drive by throwing another touchdown pass to Likely.

Giants 21, Cowboys 7.

Likely had quickly become Dart’s favorite target. He finished the game with:

• 8 receptions
• 78 yards
• 2 touchdowns
• 0 dropped passes

Dallas answered with a long drive of its own. Prescott helped move the Cowboys down the field, and Javonte Williams scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

Giants 21, Cowboys 14.

Suddenly Dallas had a chance again.

But New York’s offense had another answer.

FOURTH QUARTER: THE GIANTS FINISH THE JOB

The Giants put together another long drive in the fourth quarter.

This time, New York ran 13 plays and used more than eight minutes.

That was important because the Giants weren’t simply trying to score—they were also keeping the Cowboys’ offense off the field.

The drive ended with Devin Singletary scoring a touchdown.

Giants 28, Cowboys 14.

Dallas wasn’t finished.

Prescott eventually connected with Javonte Williams for another touchdown, cutting the Giants’ lead to eight points.

Giants 28, Cowboys 20.

Dallas had one last chance, but a strange mistake made things even harder.

After scoring, Williams was penalized for taunting Giants safety Tyler Nubin. That pushed Dallas’ extra point attempt farther back.

Brandon Aubrey missed the longer extra point.

The Giants still had work to do, but they now had an eight-point lead instead of a seven-point lead.

New York held on to the football and finished the game.

Final: Giants 28, Cowboys 20.

THE NUMBERS THAT TELL THE STORY

The final statistics show why the Giants won.

Giants Offense

Jaxson Dart

• 23 completions
• 29 attempts
• 230 passing yards
• 3 touchdown passes
• 0 interceptions
• 54 rushing yards

For a young quarterback making his first start of the season, Dart looked extremely comfortable.

One of his most impressive statistics was his performance on third down.

He completed 9 of 11 passes on third down, while the Giants as a team converted 9 of 10 third downs.

That’s an incredible 90% third-down conversion rate.

Third down is when an offense either keeps the drive alive or gives the ball back. The Giants almost always kept the drive alive.

THE GIANTS WON THE TIME OF POSSESSION BATTLE

New York possessed the football for approximately:

36 minutes, 40 seconds

Dallas had it for only:

23 minutes, 20 seconds

That’s more than a 13-minute advantage for the Giants.

The Giants also rushed for approximately 165 yards and gained nearly 400 total yards.

The Cowboys had only about 244 total yards.

In other words, New York controlled the football, moved the ball, and made Dallas’ offense wait.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

The Giants played well, but they certainly weren’t perfect.

GOOD: Zero dropped passes

The Giants were credited with zero dropped passes.

That’s especially impressive because Dart completed 23 of 29 passes.

Isaiah Likely caught all eight passes thrown his way.

BAD: Four fumbles

The Giants put the ball on the ground four times:

• Tyrone Tracy Jr. — lost fumble
• Isaiah Likely — fumble, recovered by Patrick Ricard
• Jaxson Dart — fumble, recovered by Jon Runyan Jr.
• Cam Skattebo — fumble, recovered by himself

Only Tracy’s fumble became a Dallas turnover.

Still, four fumbles is something the Giants will need to fix.

THE PENALTY PROBLEM

The biggest concern for New York may have been penalties.

The Giants were charged with 10 penalties for 114 yards.

Several came from the secondary, including defensive pass-interference penalties.

Dru Phillips had multiple pass-interference penalties, while Greg Newsome II was charged with a huge 38-yard pass-interference penalty.

Those mistakes gave Dallas free yardage and extra chances.

The Giants were fortunate that Dallas couldn’t consistently take advantage of those opportunities.

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THE FINAL VERDICT

The Giants’ first game of the 2026 season was a very positive sign.

They weren’t perfect. They fumbled four times and committed too many penalties.

But they also showed several things that should make Giants fans excited.

The offense ran the football.

The offensive line protected Dart.

The Giants converted third downs at an incredible rate.

The receivers didn’t drop a pass.

Jaxson Dart looked confident.

Isaiah Likely became a major weapon.

The defense made the biggest play of the game when Jevon Holland intercepted Prescott.

And most importantly, the Giants controlled the game for long stretches.

The final score was Giants 28, Cowboys 20, but New York’s performance suggested that this team could be much better than many people expected entering the season.

The biggest question heading into Week 2 is simple:

Can the Giants clean up the penalties and ball-security problems while keeping the same offensive efficiency?

If they can, the Giants may have something very interesting developing in New York.