Evan Barnes: Giants need to continue to get physical, but be smart about it
Giants' Cam Skattebo runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 13, 2026. Credit: Jim McIsaac
John Harbaugh’s plan when the Giants hired him was simple — play with physicality. Wear teams down. Be mentally tough, as much as physically tough.
Sunday saw the Giants cash in — or crash into? — those expectations. They ran the ball 37 times for 165 yards in a 28-20 win over the Cowboys.
Appropriately, the Giants closed the win with a first-down run.
Tight end Chris Manhertz and left tackle Andrew Thomas opened the lane with blocks and Cam Skattebo followed John Michael Schmitz on his way to an eight-yard run.
Game. Set. Boom. It was a resounding, finishing statement, and exemplified what teams can expect from these new Giants.
“Punishment,” Skattebo said. “We’re going to punish you for four quarters. Harbaugh preaches we’re in a 15-round fight and we’re not going to finish until 15 rounds is over. We don’t want to knock you out in the second quarter. We want to knock you out in the fourth quarter.”
Never mind that fights last 12 rounds now.
The Giants needed to be more durable and tougher. For the last decade, they’ve been pushed around and dominated. Last season, they lost five games in which they had fourth-quarter leads.
After Sunday, maybe that won’t be the case. It’s too soon to say, but one game showed enough to see that the Giants want to be something different. Talking about it is one thing. But doing it to another team, especially a rival that dominated them for 10 years? That matters.
“Our camp has been physical and I’m pretty sure any guy that you ask can say that,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “So to be able to come out and do it against another opponent was definitely good.”
There was reasonable apprehension once the Cowboys scored to make it 28-20 in the fourth quarter. Instead of folding, the Giants grinded down their opponents with a third second-half drive that lasted over five minutes and ran out the clock.
The Cowboys’ second half time of possession? 8:27. That was 11 seconds fewer than the Giants’ time of possession in the third quarter. The Giants were in total control, something that couldn’t be said often last year.
How much were the Cowboys demoralized? On 2nd-and-16 on that final drive, Skattebo ran for a 13-yard gain to set up a short third-down conversion. Once again, that P-word — punishment — proved true.
“From Day One, [Harbaugh] told us he wants to punish the other team and run the ball and throw play-action passes and that’s what we did,” Skattebo said. “We stuck to who we were, they trusted the plan and we came out and executed.”
It takes teams a while to establish an identity. In training camp, they’re slogans, ideas, mantras and mottos. Those are verbal building blocks whose sturdiness needs to be tested against other teams
Consider the Giants’ first steps on their first drive. Skattebo and Devin Singletary ran on the first two plays from scrimmage. On the third, Jaxson Dart converted a 3rd-and-1 with Ricard pushing him from behind.
The defense followed suit. Remember how bad they were against the run the last two years? They didn’t allow a carry longer than 10 yards Sunday.
The defensive line pressured Dak Prescott most of the night. His interception came courtesy of Kayvon Thibodeaux chasing him out of the pocket and forcing Prescott to backpedal and throw an ill-advised pass that Jevon Holland intercepted.
Abdul Carter constantly talked trash to Prescott throughout the game. Even when Holland was flagged for unnecessary roughness after a tackle, it showed a force that was too often missing on defense last season.
Toughness isn’t talk. It’s action. It’s execution. The Giants brought the fight to the Cowboys by not just embracing Harbaugh’s plan, but by carrying it out in commanding fashion.
“It is our identity. It is who we are,” Holland said. “That was the basis of what our defense is. Unapologetic.”
Now it needs to be sustained. Can it be, though? Smash-mouth football has a cost. Just ask the Lions and 49ers, who play that way and often have key players out with serious injuries by season’s end.
One can only wonder if Skattebo’s brutal running style can last 17 games? As physical as the defense was, they extended drives with penalties. Can they play with force, but under control?
Time will tell. Sunday was one game and Harbaugh reminded them that what helped win last week won’t help win Monday against the Rams.
But if the Giants want to be bullies in Harbaugh’s image, they’re off to a good start, and they expect to keep it up.
“It’s enough talking about it,” Edmunds said of being more physical. “You’ve got to go do it and just looking at the tape, guys was doing it all game. That’s offense, defense and special teams.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
