That inexperience showed early and often, as Dallas struggled badly against the run, couldn't generate consistent pressure, and appeared disorganized in the secondary far too often throughout the game. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart took full advantage, completing 79.3% of his passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with an impressive 134.2 passer rating. He was equally dangerous with his legs, adding 54 rushing yards, while running back Cam Skattebo contributed another 81 yards on the ground along with a touchdown of his own. As a team, New York averaged 4.5 yards per carry, totaling 165 rushing yards.
Likely and the Giants' Offense Overwhelm Dallas Defense
Perhaps the biggest headache for Dallas came from tight end Isaiah Likely, who the Cowboys simply couldn't contain. Likely hauled in eight receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns, consistently finding soft spots in Dallas' coverage.
On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys' offense, which ranked among the league's best a season ago, also looked disjointed in its first real test of the year. Javonte Williams led the ground game but managed just 41 rushing yards as Dallas' rushing attack averaged only 3.8 yards per carry overall. Through the air, quarterback Dak Prescott faced steady pressure throughout the game, completing 64.7% of his passes for 175 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, finishing with an 84.8 passer rating.
Overall, New York proved to be the more physical team, outgaining Dallas 394 total yards to 244 and dominating time of possession by a wide margin, holding the ball for 36 minutes and 40 seconds compared to Dallas' 23:20.
A Shaky Start Sets the Tone for Dallas
The Cowboys got off to a rough start offensively, managing just 41 yards across their first two possessions. Things got worse in between those drives, as the Giants put together a 10-play, 83-yard scoring drive. The key play came when Dart broke off a 22-yard run around the left edge, with an additional 15 yards tacked on after linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a hit out of bounds. Four plays later, Skattebo walked into the end zone untouched, giving New York an early 7-0 lead.
Dallas found some rhythm on its third possession, aided by three Giants penalties that handed the Cowboys 67 free yards, including a 19-yard pass interference call that set up a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb for an easy score to tie the game.
The Dallas defense then earned its first takeaway of the season after missing two earlier turnover opportunities. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams chased down running back Tyrone Tracy from behind and knocked the ball loose, with cornerback Shavon Revel scooping up the fumble. Dallas took over at its own 16-yard line with under two minutes remaining in the half, but disaster quickly followed. Under pressure, Prescott scrambled right and attempted to throw the ball away, but the pass fell short of the sideline, allowing Giants safety Jevón Holland to intercept it.
From there, Dallas' defense seemed to lose all cohesion, as Dart completed three consecutive passes to wide-open receivers, the last finding Likely alone in the back of the end zone. The sequence allowed New York to head into halftime comfortably ahead, 14-7.
New York picked up right where it left off to open the third quarter, extending its lead to 21-7 on a 12-play, 74-yard drive. Dart completed all five of his pass attempts on the drive for 49 yards, capping it off with another touchdown to Likely on a short two-yard dump-off. Dallas answered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive of its own, with Prescott connecting with Lamb for gains of 13 and 15 yards, George Pickens for 11, and Williams for 10 more. Williams capped the drive by punching in the final yard, cutting the deficit to 21-14.
Despite that response, New York's physical style continued to wear down the Dallas defense, which again struggled to get off the field. The Giants answered right back, with Dart rushing on the first four plays of the drive before three short passes to a wide-open Devin Singletary in the flat set up a nine-yard touchdown reception to close it out.
Facing a two-score deficit with time slipping away, Dallas needed a quick response and delivered one, scoring in just over two minutes when Prescott found Williams alone on the left side for a 17-yard touchdown. However, Williams drew a 15-yard taunting penalty on his way into the end zone, pushing kicker Brandon Aubrey's extra point attempt back significantly. Aubrey ultimately missed the kick wide right, leaving Dallas trailing 28-20.
From there, the game was effectively out of reach, as the Giants ran out the final 5:16 of the clock to seal the win. Dallas only had two offensive possessions in the second half and scored on both, but it simply wasn't enough to overcome New York's dominant performance.
