Giants’ offense rolls over the Cowboys to give coach John Harbaugh a 28-20 win in his debut – ESPN
It was not a good start for the Dallas Cowboys in 2026.
Jaxson Dart connected with Isaiah Likely for two touchdowns and Devin Singletary on another, Cam Skattebo ran for one in his first game back from injury and the New York Giants opened the season by beating the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday night in John Harbaugh’s debut as coach.
Dart made one smart throw after another, mixing in a series of well-timed runs to keep the defense off balance. He finished 23 of 29 for 230 yards passing, plus 54 rushing,
including a couple of slides and a dive to avoid the unnecessary hits that punctuated his rookie year.
Sunday Night Football: Jaxson Dart throws three TDs, Giants beat Cowboys 28-20 – Myles Simmons, PFT
Jaxson Dart torched the new-look Cowboys defense in the 2026 NFL opener for both teams.
New York ended the game with 29 first downs, 394 yards, and was 9-of-11 on third down. The club was really 9-of-10, as the final third down was a knee from Dart to run out the clock.
The Giants’ second-year QB was 23-of-29 for 230 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. He also had 54 yards on the ground.
Likely was his top target throughout the night, catching all eight of his targets for 78 yards with his two TDs. Malik Nabers — returning from a torn ACL — caught six passes for 69 yards.
Game Recap: Cowboys lose opener, 28-20 – DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys offense wasn’t up to the standards of last year.
Javonte Williams topped a ground attack that averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, with the returning starter earning only 41 rushing yards himself.
In the passing game, Dak Prescott, under regular pressure, completed 64.7% of his attempts for 175 passing yards with two touchdowns and an interception, his passer rating coming in at 84.8.
Overall, the Giants were simply more physical, outgaining the Cowboys in total yards, 394 to 244, and dominating the time of possession, 36:40 to 23:20.
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Jerry Jones was ‘nervous’ before Cowboys played Giants – he was right to be – USA Today
The Cowboys owner had a feeling, but it wasn’t quite right.
Before his Dallas Cowboys fell to the New York Giants 28-20 to open the 2026 regular season, Jerry Jones admitted to being “nervous” and “anxious” during an appearance on Dallas radio.
The Cowboys owner and CEO told 105.3 The Fan “my biggest concern is: Can we block them up?”
That distinction belonged to the Giants’ offensive line, which bullied the Cowboys’ new-look unit under first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Cowboys did the talking, but Giants looked like the most improved team in decisive Week 1 win, 28-20 – Yahoo Sports
The optimism was real, but seemingly misplaced.
The offseason hype, as usual, was on the Dallas Cowboys. They had a flashy offense and made moves to fix their defense. They spoke openly about the Super Bowl after going 7-9-1 last season.
The New York Giants made big changes too. They just weren’t as boisterous about it.
The Giants, in new head coach John Harbaugh’s first game, outplayed the Cowboys in a season-opening 28-20 win on Sunday night.
