Giants Country

Preseason Game 1 Replay: Giants Offense Tops 30 Points in 34-25 Win Over Buffalo

Recapping the New York Giants preseason opener.
Patricia Traina|
Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey (81) catches a pass for a touchdown as Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson (23) defends in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium.
Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey (81) catches a pass for a touchdown as Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson (23) defends in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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New York Giants

The New York Giants open their 2025 preseason schedule with a meeting against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.

The contest will mark the unofficial NFL debuts of the Giants’ first-round draft picks, outside linebacker Abdul Carter and quarterback Jaxson Dart, whom all eyes will be watching.

Carter has been simply fantastic since rolling into East Rutherford. In addition to a quick first step and a non-stop motor, the former Penn State standout has also shown a diverse pass-rush toolbox that has featured a nice spin move and a dip move to get underneath guys. The rookie is more than ready to lay it out on the line, even though it’s preseason.

Dart, meanwhile, has had his ups and downs since coming to East Rutherford, but the good news is he’s had far more ups than downs and is right on schedule in his development, according to assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. 

It’s unknown when head coach Brian Daboll plans to insert the rookie into the game, but Dart is expected to get a healthy amount of snaps this summer, starting this week. 

There will be much more to watch besides Carter and Dart. After strongly hinting that the starters could see some snaps in the preseason opener, the Giants are indeed planning to start quarterback Russell Wilson and the starting offensive line, minus left tackle Andrew Thomas, who is on PUP.

And what about the defensive line? Dexter Lawrence II probably won’t play in this game, which will give what has otherwise been an underwhelming collection of defensive linemen a chance to start separating themselves from the pack. 

Cornerback Deonte Banks has a chance to end the competition with Cor’Dale Flott for CB2. Flott has been nursing an injury, so it’s doubtful that he plays. But if Banks doesn’t show more consistency from snap to snap, figure the competition will continue.

The other battle to watch will be at receiver. Both Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton are probably not going to play this week, which would open things up for those receivers battling it out at the bottom of the depth chart. Can Montrell Washington, a young veteran who has looked so good of late in camp, continue that in a game?

On the negative side, it doesn't look as though Evan Neal is going to play after missing Thursday's practice with an unknown injury.

Follow along throughout Saturday’s game for live updates, scoring plays, and highlights.

Fourth Quarter

End of Game

0:39 Valiant play by ILB Dyontae Johnson to  prevent a touchdown on a 4th-and-1. Johnson stopped Frank Gore, Jr at the half-yard line.Giants ball. Giants win, 34-25

INJURY UPDATE: Cornerback Dee Williams was shaken up there. Replaced by O’Donnell Fortune as the Bills try to close the gap.

2:15: And the Giants convert the turnover as DeVito finds running back Jonathan Ward for a 9-yard touchdown, the Giants having cracked 30 points. Giants 34-Bills 25.

2:35: We have our first turnover of the game. Bills quarterback Shane Buechele tried to recover a snap airmailed by center Jacob Bayer at the Bills’ 45. Giants outside linebacker Trace Ford recovered the loose ball.

INJURY NOTE: Reserve cornerback Dee Williams is down on the ground. Could be cramping though. 

7:15: Giants back on top as Jude McAtamney hits a 42-yard field goal. Giants 27, Bills 26

11:30: Tommy DeVito is now in the game for the Giants at quarterback.

11:39: Bills regain the lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Mike White to Darrynton Evans. White then converted on the 2-point conversion on a pass to Laviska Shenault Jr., who beat cornerback Dee Williams to the outside. Bills 25, Giants 24.

Third Quarter

New York Giants defensive tackle Cory Durden
Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Cory Durden (69) makes a tackle on Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis (22) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

End of the Quarter

1:16: Jameis Winston caps a solid drive that saw them convert two third downs. Winston hits Gunner Olszewski for a 7-yard touchdown. Then they make the 2-point conversion ona pass to tight end Thomas Fidone II. Giants 24, Bills 17

4:42: Giants get a break when Jameis Winston overshot Ihmir Smith-Marsette and had the ball picked off by Jordan Hancock. Bills defensive lineman Landon Jackson was called for offside, nullifying the penalty.

7:17: Ugh. Another blown coverage by theGiants who on 4th-and-4 allowed receiver KJ Hamler to get wide open for a 39-yard touchdown catch and the lead. Bills 17, Giants 16

STAT: Deonte Banks with a somewhat mixed bag. Still not sure if he was to blame for that long completion toward the end of the second quarter, but Banks, per PFF, finished having allowed one completion on three targets for 12 yards, one yard after the catch for a 46.5 coverage rating. He also had a nice play in which he forced an incompletion.

14:16: Giants get the first sack of the game as D.J.Davidson drops Mike White for an eight-yard loss. 

LINEUP NOTE: Jameis Winston will start the second half for the Giants when they go on offense. Also Deonte Banks is out of the game now after playing the entire first half.

Haltime

STATS: Nice showing by the Giants' quarterbacks in the first half. Russell Wilson went 6-of-7 for 28 yards. Jaxson Dart went 12-of-19 for 154 yards and one touchdown. Want another positive stat? Zero sacks allowed by the first and second team offensive lines.

STATS: Unofficially, seven missed tackles by the Giants in this game so far. 

Second Quarter

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws a pass to running back Dante Miller (25)
Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws a pass to running back Dante Miller (25) in the second quarter game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Haltime

:04: Bills get on the board with a 24-yard field goal by Chrisa Davis, a score made possible thanks to a 58-yard pass by Mitchell Trubisky to receiver Tyrell Shavers against Dane Belton and Deonte Banks in coverage. Giants 16, Bills 10

:32: And yet another stalled drive as Montrell Washington drops his second pass on third down this game. The Giants got a 51-yard field goal from Graham Gano, his third field goal of 50+ yards today. Giants 16, Bills 7

Note: Marcus Mbow moves over to left tackle for Joshua Ezeudu. Mbow getting work at both tackle spots as there is hope that he can develop into a swing tackle for this team.

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

2:26: Tight end Thomas Fidone II with a false start, so he gets pulled off the field. Giants have two false starts so far in this game. 

4:09: Giants increase their lead on a Gano 50-yard field goal that hit the right upright and bounced inside. Giants 13, Bills 3 

6:45: Nice run by Dart up the middle for 19 yards. He’s having a nice debut so far. 

8:43: Ugly looking drive there for the Giants’ second-team defense. Missed tackles and a wide-open tight end in the middle of the field as the Bills get on the board with a touchdown pass from Mitchell Trubisky to tight end Dawson Knox. Giants 10, Bills 7

12:05: Boom! On 3rd-and-5 from the Bills’ 29, Dart threw a dart to Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a 29 yard touchdown, doing so despite taking a hit. Dart is 6 of 8 so far in his NFL debut. Giants 10, Bills 0

13:02: Big run by receiver Montrell Washington for 28 yards. Stepped out of bounds though otherwise he might have had more. 

First Quarter

(Note: Time stamps reprepsent the game clock from this point forward.)

End of Q1: Giants 3, Bills 0

3:16: Nondescript first drive by Dart. He completed three of four passes for 16 yards, his one incompletion thrown behind tight end Greg Dulcich. 

Note: Brian Burns is playing after all. I thought they might sit him this week, but glad he's out there.

6:14: And here it is folks. Jaxson Dart comes in for theGiants second drive along with the second-team offensive line. The starting offense got 12 plays so their day is done. His offensive line, from left to right: Josah Ezeudu, Aaron Stinnie, Austin Schlottmann, Jake Kubas, and Marcus Mbow.

7:26: Giants get on the board with a 53-yard Graham Gano field goal after a promising looking drive stalls. Two penalties on this drive, including a false start and a holding flag,  called against left tackle James Hudson III. Giants 3, Bills 0

8:50: James Hudson III called for a false start as those nagging presnap penalties continue.

Note: Mike Kafka is calling plays on the sideline this year. Previously worked from the booth.

Pregame

12:30 pm: In addition to cornerback Cor’Dale Flott (injury related), it doesn’t look as though Art Green or Tre Hawkins III (hamstring) are going to play either. Green’s absence is reportedly due to his having been excused for personal reasons. That leaves the Giants thin as far as cornerback depth is concerned.

12:21 pm: Interesting development. Receiver Jalin Hyatt, who needs a strong season, doesn’t appear to be suited up to play. It's unknown whether the lingering calf issue he had earlier in camp is at play here, but this development is concerning for a player who has consistently shown promise in the offseason and training camp, only to fade into the background.

11:53 am: Besides seeing Jaxson Dart, a big thing I want to see today is how the run defense looks, especially if, as I suspect, Dexter Lawrence II doesn't play. I haven’t been wowed by the defensive line depth thus far, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt since there has been no live tackling to the ground in camp.

11:44 am: Some have expressed disagreement over the Giants playing some of their starters because of the injury factor. Friendly reminder that injuries can happen any time, any place -- see Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Ty Summers.  (If you haven’t checked out this article on how preseason reps can help with injuries early in the season, I suggest you give it a read.)

11:26 a.m.: It doesn’t look as though Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton will play this week, as I suspected. Nabers is going to be managed this year due to that toe issue, so no sense in having him put tread on his tires in the preseason. Slayton, meanwhile, has been nursing something. I don’t believe it’s serious, but why run the risk of making it worse?

11:14 am: Gut feeling here, but I think we're going to see Darius Alexander and Roy Robertson-Harris get a chunk of time on the defensive line. I don't know if it's really necessary for Dexter Lawerence II to play this week--maybe get him snaps later in the preseason. And truth be told, I'd rather see Alexander and RRH since I think both might be key players moving forward. 

10:08 am: Rookie Jaxson Dart has checked into the building for his big NFL debut. My guess is that he will follow Wilson after the starter exits the game and play about a quarter-plus worth of snaps. I would be surprised if both Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito both get snaps, as it would be tough to get four quarterbacks snaps in a game.

10:03 am: Will the Giants sit OLB Brian Burns and start Abdul Carter in his place? Burns was nicked up earlier in camp when he collided with Wan'Dale Robinson. While Burns is expected to be good to go for the season, if it were my call, I would sit Burns this week and start Carter with Kayvon Thibodeaux as the outside linebackers.

9:45 am: Another player who is not expected to play is cornerback Cor'Dale Flott, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury for the past several days. Flott has been in competition with Deonte Banks for CB2, so this poses a HUGE opportunity for Banks to end that competition against a guy who has talent, but who seemingly deals with injuries that keep him on the side every summer.

9:32 am: Disappointing news. Evan Neal, who desperately needs game reps as he continues his transition to guard, is not expected to play in the Giants' preseason opener. Neal missed Thursday's walk-through with an undisclosed ailment. Not a good start for the fourth-year offensive lineman who is in a make-or-break campaign this season.

9:00 am: The Giants will be starting quarterback Russell Wilson in the preseason opener against the Bills. Head coach Brian Daboll strongly hinted that he was leaning that way on Tuesday when he spoke to reporters. It was reported by NorthJersey.com that this is indeed the case. Expect the starting offensive line (minus left tackle Andrew Thomas, who remains on PUP) to start as well and then make its exit probably around the same time as Wilson, if not shortly thereafter.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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