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By Charlotte Carroll, Dan Duggan, Ian O'Connor and Jon Machota
Sept. 13, 2026 Updated Sept. 14, 2026 1:13 am CDT
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — First-year New York Giants coach John Harbaugh vowed in May that he would build a team good enough to “kick the (Dallas) Cowboys’ ass.”
Harbaugh delivered on that promise Sunday night, as his Giants took down their hated rivals 28-20 in front of a raucous crowd at MetLife Stadium to secure his first victory with his new team. Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart led the way for New York with three touchdown passes, including two to offseason free-agent acquisition Isaiah Likely. It was the second three-touchdown game of Dart’s young career.
What did you learn about the Harbaugh Era in New York after one game?
I think we all learned that Harbaugh’s Giants will put a professional, highly functional product on the field. We learned that unlike many Giants teams since their last Super Bowl victory in February 2012, this one will be prepared nearly every time out.
This debut was not perfect. The Giants fumbled four times (losing only one, remarkably enough) and committed 57 yards of pass interference penalties on the Cowboys’ second-quarter touchdown drive. However, they kept playing with passion and belief against a Dallas team advertised as a Super Bowl contender, capitalizing on Dak Prescott’s brutal interception before halftime and then opening the second half with a 12-play, 74-yard, 8-minute touchdown drive for the “double score” that tilted the field heavily in the home team’s favor.
We also learned that Harbaugh wasn’t lying when he said he loved what he saw from Dart on his rookie-year tape. Dart outplayed Prescott by a wide margin. The second-year quarterback is one of the primary reasons Harbaugh took this job.
A half hour after he was hired by the Giants on Jan. 17, Harbaugh was on the phone with me, delivering a message to his new fan base.
“We are going to build a team that’s going to play a brand of football that you will be proud of,” Harbaugh said before later adding, “I expect and want to make the playoffs next year.”
I don’t know about the playoffs. But I do know that Harbaugh compiled 193 regular-season and postseason victories in Baltimore by making sure his Ravens played the game the right way.
We learned Sunday night that Harbaugh’s Giants will do the same thing … and then some. — Ian O’Connor, columnist
This Cowboys offense was supposed to be a juggernaut. Why did they struggle so much to get things going until late?
Maybe they got too full of themselves. Maybe they needed to be humbled by a division rival. It’s tough to say because other than two training camp practices against the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, we didn’t really see them get tested in training camp. The starters didn’t play in the preseason.
It was surprising to see wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb not have a bigger impact Sunday night. It was surprising to see running back Javonte Williams have that uncharacteristic taunting penalty after his fourth-quarter touchdown. But most of all, it was inexcusable to see Prescott throw that awful interception right before the half. It might have been a different game if not for a mistake an 11-year veteran quarterback just can’t make.
“This one feels pretty bad,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “As a football team, we were pretty poor. Give Coach Harbaugh and his team a bunch of credit. They were the more physical team tonight. … This is a humbling business, and we got pummeled tonight.” — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
This rivalry has been one-sided lately, with the Cowboys 16-2 in the series since 2017. But with a Giants win and A LOT of trash-talking, fair to say this is a rivalry renewed?
Oh, this was a fun one — football at its best, with a charged atmosphere heading into kickoff. While I’ve only been on the beat for four seasons, I can’t recall the parking lots ever being that crowded with four hours to go until kickoff. The MetLife faithful were excited to see the Harbaugh Era begin, and the Giants delivered on the field.
“Unbelievable environment,” Harbaugh said. “This crowd, I’m telling you, man, the parking lot, the parking lot was off the chain driving in here. It was packed! I’m talking like 4.5 hours before the game. I get here early. And I’m thinking it’s going to be easy to get in here, and it wasn’t. And the stadium was just absolutely electric from beginning to end.”
As for the trash-talking, the Giants certainly weren’t going to get bullied by a rival. They had no issue standing up for their own — just look how quickly center John Michael Schmitz and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor were to go after Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown after an unnecessary roughness penalty on Dart. Cam Skattebo seemed like he was talking smack the whole game. This was a lot. I want more! — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer
MetLife Stadium was rocking all night. The fans seemed more into it than in most of the previous meetings with the Cowboys. The Giants have a good team with a good head coach and a franchise quarterback. There are a lot of reasons to be excited. The Cowboys are likely a better team than they showed Sunday night, but this might not be a division that comes down to the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles again. The Giants look like they are for real. The Cowboys’ dominance since Dak Prescott’s second season looks to officially be over. — Machota
What were your top takeaways from the new Giants offense and how quarterback Jaxson Dart took to it?
It’s hard to imagine the start of Dart’s second season going any better. He was in total command of the new offensive system installed by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had eight carries for 59 yards before some late kneeldowns, using his legs as a weapon while avoiding any unnecessary hits.
Dart was operating under center far more often than he did during his rookie season, and he looked comfortable, often making adjustments at the line. When Dart had to operate out of the shotgun, like in a two-minute drive at the end of the first half, he was equally smooth.
Most impressive about Dart’s performance: he was making plays from inside the pocket. He has proven he can make the spectacular plays out of structure. But Dart was boringly efficient at times Sunday, highlighted by a fourth-quarter touchdown drive when he repeatedly hit running back Devin Singletary in the flat. Singletary capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown catch on a swing pass from Dart.
“He played terrific,” receiver Malik Nabers said of Dart. “I mean, I came at him in the third quarter and was like, ‘You a dawg.’ … He was throwing the ball in spots … he was in a zone. … He was doing everything right.” — Dan Duggan, Giants beat writer
On a scale of 1-10, how panicked should Cowboys fans be about coordinator Christian Parker’s defense after one week?
A five. It’s only one game for a team that doesn’t play many of its starters in the preseason. However, it was definitely concerning. There were still way too many big gains allowed that left you scratching your head, a lot like last season. The organization sold all offseason that this group would be much better at stopping the run. It didn’t look like that at all Sunday night.
They have some good pieces in defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and rookie safety Caleb Downs, but it still doesn’t look like there’s enough talent on that side of the ball. To make things worse, oft-injured linebacker Overshown exited in the second half with a hamstring injury. Inside linebacker was one of the Cowboys’ biggest issues entering the offseason. After one game, it still looks like an area of concern. — Machota
How did Malik Nabers look in his first action since Week 4 last year?
There was no shortage of suspense hovering over whether Nabers would even play Sunday night. While the coaching staff suggested Nabers, who tore an ACL and meniscus in late September, was ready to go, the decision ultimately came down to whether Nabers felt ready. So, when the Giants finally announced Nabers would be active Sunday night, that alone felt like a minor victory.
That small win became a bigger one the more he played. Nabers fielded a team-high nine targets, catching six for 69 yards. There were a few slips and a scary moment when Nabers headed to the sidelines to get medical attention after taking a hit. But he returned soon after, providing a big sigh of relief to his team and its fans.
“I had to just trust my body, trust myself. I knew I could come out and do what I wanted to do,” Nabers told the NBC broadcast after the game. “When I got out here, I felt good. I felt the atmosphere. I felt my teammates happy. I was back. I just had to do it. I had to do it. I just trusted my heart.”
There’s no doubt his presence helped maximize the offense’s potential, even if he didn’t contribute a truly signature moment. If he’s healthy, those will come in time. For now, just seeing him making catches and picking up first downs is huge for New York. — Carroll
Sept. 13, 2026 Updated Sept. 14, 2026 1:13 am CDT
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — First-year New York Giants coach John Harbaugh vowed in May that he would build a team good enough to “kick the (Dallas) Cowboys’ ass.”
Harbaugh delivered on that promise Sunday night, as his Giants took down their hated rivals 28-20 in front of a raucous crowd at MetLife Stadium to secure his first victory with his new team. Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart led the way for New York with three touchdown passes, including two to offseason free-agent acquisition Isaiah Likely. It was the second three-touchdown game of Dart’s young career.
What did you learn about the Harbaugh Era in New York after one game?
I think we all learned that Harbaugh’s Giants will put a professional, highly functional product on the field. We learned that unlike many Giants teams since their last Super Bowl victory in February 2012, this one will be prepared nearly every time out.
This debut was not perfect. The Giants fumbled four times (losing only one, remarkably enough) and committed 57 yards of pass interference penalties on the Cowboys’ second-quarter touchdown drive. However, they kept playing with passion and belief against a Dallas team advertised as a Super Bowl contender, capitalizing on Dak Prescott’s brutal interception before halftime and then opening the second half with a 12-play, 74-yard, 8-minute touchdown drive for the “double score” that tilted the field heavily in the home team’s favor.
We also learned that Harbaugh wasn’t lying when he said he loved what he saw from Dart on his rookie-year tape. Dart outplayed Prescott by a wide margin. The second-year quarterback is one of the primary reasons Harbaugh took this job.
A half hour after he was hired by the Giants on Jan. 17, Harbaugh was on the phone with me, delivering a message to his new fan base.
“We are going to build a team that’s going to play a brand of football that you will be proud of,” Harbaugh said before later adding, “I expect and want to make the playoffs next year.”
I don’t know about the playoffs. But I do know that Harbaugh compiled 193 regular-season and postseason victories in Baltimore by making sure his Ravens played the game the right way.
We learned Sunday night that Harbaugh’s Giants will do the same thing … and then some. — Ian O’Connor, columnist
This Cowboys offense was supposed to be a juggernaut. Why did they struggle so much to get things going until late?
Maybe they got too full of themselves. Maybe they needed to be humbled by a division rival. It’s tough to say because other than two training camp practices against the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, we didn’t really see them get tested in training camp. The starters didn’t play in the preseason.
It was surprising to see wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb not have a bigger impact Sunday night. It was surprising to see running back Javonte Williams have that uncharacteristic taunting penalty after his fourth-quarter touchdown. But most of all, it was inexcusable to see Prescott throw that awful interception right before the half. It might have been a different game if not for a mistake an 11-year veteran quarterback just can’t make.
“This one feels pretty bad,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “As a football team, we were pretty poor. Give Coach Harbaugh and his team a bunch of credit. They were the more physical team tonight. … This is a humbling business, and we got pummeled tonight.” — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
This rivalry has been one-sided lately, with the Cowboys 16-2 in the series since 2017. But with a Giants win and A LOT of trash-talking, fair to say this is a rivalry renewed?
Oh, this was a fun one — football at its best, with a charged atmosphere heading into kickoff. While I’ve only been on the beat for four seasons, I can’t recall the parking lots ever being that crowded with four hours to go until kickoff. The MetLife faithful were excited to see the Harbaugh Era begin, and the Giants delivered on the field.
“Unbelievable environment,” Harbaugh said. “This crowd, I’m telling you, man, the parking lot, the parking lot was off the chain driving in here. It was packed! I’m talking like 4.5 hours before the game. I get here early. And I’m thinking it’s going to be easy to get in here, and it wasn’t. And the stadium was just absolutely electric from beginning to end.”
As for the trash-talking, the Giants certainly weren’t going to get bullied by a rival. They had no issue standing up for their own — just look how quickly center John Michael Schmitz and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor were to go after Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown after an unnecessary roughness penalty on Dart. Cam Skattebo seemed like he was talking smack the whole game. This was a lot. I want more! — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer
MetLife Stadium was rocking all night. The fans seemed more into it than in most of the previous meetings with the Cowboys. The Giants have a good team with a good head coach and a franchise quarterback. There are a lot of reasons to be excited. The Cowboys are likely a better team than they showed Sunday night, but this might not be a division that comes down to the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles again. The Giants look like they are for real. The Cowboys’ dominance since Dak Prescott’s second season looks to officially be over. — Machota
What were your top takeaways from the new Giants offense and how quarterback Jaxson Dart took to it?
It’s hard to imagine the start of Dart’s second season going any better. He was in total command of the new offensive system installed by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had eight carries for 59 yards before some late kneeldowns, using his legs as a weapon while avoiding any unnecessary hits.
Dart was operating under center far more often than he did during his rookie season, and he looked comfortable, often making adjustments at the line. When Dart had to operate out of the shotgun, like in a two-minute drive at the end of the first half, he was equally smooth.
Most impressive about Dart’s performance: he was making plays from inside the pocket. He has proven he can make the spectacular plays out of structure. But Dart was boringly efficient at times Sunday, highlighted by a fourth-quarter touchdown drive when he repeatedly hit running back Devin Singletary in the flat. Singletary capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown catch on a swing pass from Dart.
“He played terrific,” receiver Malik Nabers said of Dart. “I mean, I came at him in the third quarter and was like, ‘You a dawg.’ … He was throwing the ball in spots … he was in a zone. … He was doing everything right.” — Dan Duggan, Giants beat writer
On a scale of 1-10, how panicked should Cowboys fans be about coordinator Christian Parker’s defense after one week?
A five. It’s only one game for a team that doesn’t play many of its starters in the preseason. However, it was definitely concerning. There were still way too many big gains allowed that left you scratching your head, a lot like last season. The organization sold all offseason that this group would be much better at stopping the run. It didn’t look like that at all Sunday night.
They have some good pieces in defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and rookie safety Caleb Downs, but it still doesn’t look like there’s enough talent on that side of the ball. To make things worse, oft-injured linebacker Overshown exited in the second half with a hamstring injury. Inside linebacker was one of the Cowboys’ biggest issues entering the offseason. After one game, it still looks like an area of concern. — Machota
How did Malik Nabers look in his first action since Week 4 last year?
There was no shortage of suspense hovering over whether Nabers would even play Sunday night. While the coaching staff suggested Nabers, who tore an ACL and meniscus in late September, was ready to go, the decision ultimately came down to whether Nabers felt ready. So, when the Giants finally announced Nabers would be active Sunday night, that alone felt like a minor victory.
That small win became a bigger one the more he played. Nabers fielded a team-high nine targets, catching six for 69 yards. There were a few slips and a scary moment when Nabers headed to the sidelines to get medical attention after taking a hit. But he returned soon after, providing a big sigh of relief to his team and its fans.
“I had to just trust my body, trust myself. I knew I could come out and do what I wanted to do,” Nabers told the NBC broadcast after the game. “When I got out here, I felt good. I felt the atmosphere. I felt my teammates happy. I was back. I just had to do it. I had to do it. I just trusted my heart.”
There’s no doubt his presence helped maximize the offense’s potential, even if he didn’t contribute a truly signature moment. If he’s healthy, those will come in time. For now, just seeing him making catches and picking up first downs is huge for New York. — Carroll
