5 Winners and 3 Losers from Giants’ 28-20 Week 1 Win Over Dallas

New York Giants fans clamored for John Harbaugh, and although there were some bumps, his Big Blue head coaching debut did not disappoint. A franchise that has lacked an identity for so long embodied toughness, creativity, and most importantly, the clutch gene.

Put it all together, and it comes to a 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants looked legitimately dangerous for the first time in ages thanks to the physical summer Harbaugh put them through.

Winners

QB Jaxson Dart

Sep 13, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For all the concern about Dart and his ability to function in an offense that was unlike any other he had run at any level, Dart came through with impressive 23-of-29 numbers for 230 yards and three touchdowns, a whopping 134.2 rating.

Dart, who hadn’t worked much under center, had ten such snaps in the Week 1 opener, completing five of them with one going for a touchdown and finishing with a 124.4 rating in snaps that were not run from the shotgun.

TE Isaiah Likely

The 26-year-old tight end was fantastic, posting eight receptions on eight targets for 78 yards and two TDs.

Simply put, he was an immediate difference-maker. Likely extended and finished drives with his superb pass-catching ability, giving Dart another valuable go-to guy in crucial situations.

Where Likely really stood out was on third downs and in the red zone—on third downs, Likely converted four times. In the red zone, he caught all three of his targets, two of which went for touchdowns as he put that impressive 6-foot-4 height on display.

WR Malik Nabers

Amid concerns about his knee and questions about his availability, the Giants' top wide receiver put forth one of the most impressive showings of this season opener. Malik Nabers exorcised a fair amount of his demons in East Rutherford, New Jersey, if not all of them.

The dynamic 23-year-old recorded six catches for 69 yards, holding strong after absorbing contact and shaking off rust. He excelled despite playing less than 53 percent of New York's snaps, drawing attention away from Likely and others when he was on the field.

Nabers leaped over his first barrier, leaving little doubt about his effectiveness following a lengthy ACL recovery. And the best should still be to come.

RG Francis Mauigoa

Talk about an impressive debut! Rookie right guard Francis Mauigoa schooled Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark and in a big-time way.

Per NextGen Stats, Mauigoa allowed ZERO pressures in 36 pass blocks. That was the most blocks without allowing a pressure by a rookie in Week 1 since 2019.

Mauigoa also became the first player since Week 16 of the 2023 season to hold Clark without a pressure on 19 or more pass rush attempts.

Giants' Run Defense

Granted, the Cowboys didn’t have many offensive plays, and because they had to play from behind, they leaned more heavily into the passing game.

Still, give credit to the Giants' run defense, which held the Cowboys and running back Javonte Williams to just 69 yards on 18 carries, with the lone rushing touchdown by Williams.

The Giants only had one tackle for a loss, but again, given the numbers, it was a positive start for a run defense that has been much maligned in recent years.

Losers

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) runs with the ball before fumbling during a week one opening game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys at Metlife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It wasn’t that long ago that Tracy insisted that he wasn’t a “fumbler.” And yet in Week 1, what happened? He lost the handle on a ball deep in Dallas territory, and the scoring drive promptly snuffed out.

After that, Tracy didn’t touch the ball again except for one kickoff return. Given Harbaugh's meritocracy, would anyone be stunned if Tracy is inactive next week instead of Najee Harris, who didn’t get the game-day suit this week?

CB Greg Newsome II

On the surface, Newsome, one of the two starting cornerbacks (Deonte Banks was the other), didn’t have a bad game, but a deeper dive shows otherwise.

Newsome, per PFF, held Cowboys receiver George Pickens to one catch (out of three targets) for eight yards, one yard after the catch. But Pickens also had two drops in this game, both coming after handily beating Newsome in coverage.

LG Jon Runyan Jr.

Surprisingly, Runyan’s run blocking was fine—it was more physical than a year ago. But where Runyan struggled a bit was in pass blocking, his strength. Per PFF, Runyan allowed a team-high three quarterback pressures (two in true-pass sets) in 13 pass-blocking snaps for a 95.6 pass-blocking efficiency rating.

Runyan also drew two penalties, both false starts, which is inexcusable for an offensive lineman playing at home and aware of the snap count.

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