Giants coach John Harbaugh wins debut, Jaxson Dart throws 3 TD passes in victory over Cowboys
Jaxson Dart, right, and Cam Skattebo of the Giants celebrate after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The electricity at MetLife Stadium charged up when Odell Beckham Jr. was the first Giants player introduced, a fitting welcome home for a player who hadn’t played there since 2018.
It reached a fever pitch when Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers ran out, ready for their first games after season-ending injuries. And it ended with cheers for coach John Harbaugh, who won his debut as Giants coach in a 28-20 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday night.
Jaxson Dart finished 23-for-29 for 230 yards with a career-high tying three touchdown passes. He was decisive and responsible, running the ball for 55 attempts on 10 carries.
The new-look Giants offense, led by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, was more clinical than flashy. Case in point, the Giants’ first two drives of the second half lasted 12 and 13 plays, respectively, while chewing up over eight minutes of game time each
But both ended with touchdowns. It was a grinding, deliberate offense yet Dart found open targets and the running game got yards in short chunks. Isaiah Likely caught a 15-yard touchdown on the opening drive of third quarter and Devin Singletary added a 9-yard touchdown.
The Giants then ran out the final 5:21 minutes to win their first season opener since 2022. They finished 9-for-11 on third downs.
Skattebo, who had 81 yards on 18 carries, returned from a season-ending ankle injury in Week 8 last year. He started the scoring Sunday with a three-yard touchdown run. It was also the Giants’ first TD in a season opener since 2022.
Fittingly, Skattebo celebrated with his usual backflip after a cartwheel set it up. The Giants’ offense also set it up with fullback Patrick Ricard running across the line to block a defender and give Skattebo a clear runway.
Nabers was listed as questionable before the game but was ruled active just ahead of the Giants listing their inactives. He started the game with rookie Malachi Fields at wide receiver and caught his first target, a nine-yard gain.
Nabers did not appear to be on a limited snap count. He finished with 69 yards on six catches.
Joining the party was Likely making a strong first impression. The tight end, who signed a three-year deal this offseason, had two touchdowns, carrying over his training camp chemistry with Dart. He finished with eight catches for 78 yards, including two third-down conversions on the final drive.
The Cowboys also, scored on their first two possessions of the second half, both aided by Giants penalties. After Likely’s score made it 21-7, Dru Philips’ pass interference penalty gave the Cowboys new life and they capitalized with Javonte Williams scoring on a 1-yard TD run.
Jevon Holland then aided the Cowboys’ next drive by committing a personal foul penalty on Ryan Flournoy, throwing him down out of bounds after a catch. Williams scored on a 17-yard catch but then held the ball out to taunt the Giants, drawing a unsportsmanlike penalty. It pushed the PAT back 15 yards and Brandon Aubrey missed it.
Dart and the offense than finished strong. With the new offense, he took several snaps under center and showed poise adjusting plays from the line of scrimmage. He also showed sound judgment on two long runs.
In the first half, he ran for gains of 22 and 16 yards going toward the sidelines instead of seeking contact. The first run drew an illegal hit penalty on DeMarvion Overshown, adding 15 more yards and bringing several teammates to run over to Dart’s aid.
If there was a flaw for the offense, it was ball security. They had four fumbles, yet recovered three of them. The one lost fumble came when Tyrone Tracy was stripped and Cowboys defensive back Shavon Revel recovered it.
It reminded of Tracy’s costly fumble in preseason that ended a potential scoring drive. Tracy also entered the game as the third running back behind Skattebo and Singletary.
However, the Giants defense bailed Tracy out the next drive. With Kayvon Thibodeaux forcing pressure, Prescott threw while backpedaling and Jevon Holland made a sliding interception.
The Giants’ run defense, much maligned last year, held the Cowboys to just 69 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Perhaps a sign of Dart’s on-field maturity came to end the first half. Dart and the offense with 49 seconds left and marched 60 yards in 29 seconds with Likely ending the drive with a 15-yard touchdown catch. Dart went 5-for-6 that drive with completions to four different receivers.
It foreshadowed the efficiency he and the offense played with in the second half and got Harbaugh’s debut off to a banner start. After the final kneel down, Dart gave the ball to Nabers. A welcome back present and a welcome start to a hopeful new era under Harbaugh.
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.
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