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The NFL began with the first Sunday Night Football game of the season. The New York Giants went up against there in-division NFC East rival, Dallas Cowboys and did not disappoint in Week one.
The Giants defeated the Cowboys 28-20. The two second year amigos Jaxon Dart and Cam Skattebo took total control of the offense, playing their hard-nose physical style of play. Dart completed 23-of-29 passes, passing for 230 yards along with having three passing touchdowns. The second year quarterback look completely calm and poised with passing the ball at an effective level and using his legs to run when needed. Dart had 11 carries for 54 yards and Skattebo had 18 carries for 81 yards along with a touchdown.
Before going into tonight’s game, the Giants have not scored a Week one opening-day touchdown since the 2022 season. On the first opening drive to begin the season under the new look coach John Harbaugh, the team scored and broke their drought. On the fifth play, Dart was on a designated run going to the sideline before a late hit. Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was charged with a 15-yard personal foul penalty at the 28 yard line. Five plays later, Skattebo rushed up the middle and walked into the end zone for a three yard touchdown run as he was untouched and blocked for.
The whole Giants offense was fed all night long and dominated against the Cowboys defense. Starting with Isaiah Likely who had a huge Giants debut. Likely had eight receptions for 78 yards and scored two touchdowns. Early on in Week one, the Dart and Likely connection was on full display, with the tight-end being a safety blanket for his quarterback.
Third year star wide-receiver Malik Nabers made an big impact coming off multiple injuries last season with a torn ACL and meniscus in Week four against the Los Angles Chargers. All summer, training camp, and preseason long there were questions if Nabers would be ready to begin the season. It was a real question mark going into tonight’s game as it was a big unknown and mystery but the star wide-receiver put everything to rest. Nabers had six receptions for 69 yards, looking completely comfortable moving all around the field as he tries to regain his full form.
The two other Giants receivers Darnell Mooney and Malachi Fields had solid games with each making there contributions. Mooney had two carries for 27 yards. The third-round rookie Fields who’s built like an tight-end as he’s a tall 6-foot-4 receiver had two carries for 25 yards. Running Back Devin Singletary had four receiving receptions for 22 yards with a touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter. Singletary also rushed six times for 16 yards.
On the other side, the Cowboys look like a shell of themselves. The team struggled on all three phases and both the players & coaching staff didn’t execute. On offense the team didn’t look terrible as they scored 20 points but didn’t look great as well. Dak Prescott completed 22-of-34 passes, passing for 175 yards. Prescott had two passing touchdowns and threw one interception. In the final minute of the first half before halftime tied at seven, Prescott threw an interception as he was scrambling and being pressured with Giants safety Jevon Holland getting the interception. The Giants then marched down the field with Dart darting a touchdown to the wide open Isaiah Likely which was his first touchdown and went up 14-7 at the half.
The Giants defense was fantastic all night long with being disruptive and applying pressure. The Cowboys only had 244 total yards of offense. The defense brought the energy with being very physical and trash talking back and forth against the offense. When the Giants edge rushers Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter were on the field, they had six pressures on 9 dropbacks. The Giants showcased to the world they can be one of the top defenses in the whole NFL this season.
Dallas star wide-receiver CeeDee Lamb had five carries for 44 yards and scored a touchdown. Lamb scored the Cowboys first touchdown at the 5:44 min mark in the second quarter as one of the best offensive teams in the league struggle early. Running Back Javonte Williams had 12 carries for 41 yards with scoring one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown. Williams caught five passes for 31 yards. As it was late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were down 28-14 before Williams receiving touchdown. When getting into the end zone, Willams received a taunting penalty for pointing the ball at the Giants safety Tyler Nubin when he already scored. It was completely unnecessary for Williams to do which resulted in the 48-yard Extra Point being missed by Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey. This pretty much ended game with the Giants running out the clock to win against there rival.
Dallas’ other star wide-recover George Pickens and tight-end Jake Ferguson each had quiet nights and didn’t play up to their standard. Pickens had three receptions for 28 yards and Ferguson had 2 receptions for six yards.
On defense, the Cowboys looked lost all game long with giving up plays and looking tired as the Giants dominated the time of possession. The defense struggled all of last season and made some changes. The former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was fired and replaced with Christian Parker coming from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys obtained one former New York Jet Quinnen Williams and the team got the two former Green Bay Packers Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark. In the draft, with pick 11, Safety Caleb Downs was selected to help out the Cowboys. In free agency, the team made some signings such as getting cornerback Cobie Durant and pass rusher Von Miller to help their depth. None of that matters as both teams move on to Week two.
The Giants will now travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams in Week two on Monday Night Football. In Week one, the Rams lost against the San-Francisco 49ers 27-7 in Australia. On Sunday, the Rams received bad news that Rams defensive star Myles Garrett will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee and will be placed on injured reserve.
Will the Giants go 2-0 in the coach Harbaugh era or will the Rams get their first win of the season?
