The classic Week 1 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants on "Sunday Night Football" gave the football world a new twist: a 28-20 Giants victory. Week 1 marks the first time in nine tries that New York beat Dallas in a primetime season opener.
New York marched straight down the field on its first drive under new coach John Harbaugh, and capped its 10-play, 83-yard opening drive with a bruising, 3-yard touchdown plunge by running back Cam Skattebo, who ran in behind fullback Patrick Ricard on a nicely-designed counter play.
After that, Dallas' new-look defense locked in -- briefly. The defense forced a Giants punt, which led to a touchdown toss from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb that broke the Cowboys' scoring seal with 5:44 left in the half.
On the ensuing drive, New York running back Tyrone Tracy appeared to have an 8-yard gain down to the Cowboys' 21 before Dallas Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams chased him down to punch out the football. Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel hopped on the loose ball to give Dallas one last drive as the game hit the two-minute warning.
Alas, the drive was for naught, because Prescott made an incredibly careless decision. Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux got in Prescott's face on a third-and-5 play from the Cowboys' 36, and Prescott lobbed a half-hearted throw toward the right sideline as a half-throwaway, half-prayer to someone in a Dallas uniform would come down with the football. Instead, Giants safety Jevon Holland made a diving interception at the New York 45 for the takeaway with 58 seconds left to play in the second quarter.
New York fully capitalized on Prescott's brain fart with quarterback Jaxson Dart hitting his tight end, Isaiah Likely, for a 15-yard, go-ahead touchdown wide open in the back of the end zone with 20 seconds left in the half.
After halftime, the Giants controlled the proceedings with relative ease. Dart tossed two more touchdowns, one to Likely from 2 yards out and one to running back Devin Singletary from 9 yards out, and he finished with 230 yards and three passing touchdowns on 23 of 29 passing. New York scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second half before bleeding the clock out on the final drive.
Prescott helped lead touchdown drives on both of Dallas' second-half possessions, a 1-yard run by running back Javonte Williams and a 17-yard pass to Williams, but the Cowboys' defense couldn't get off the field fast enough to give the offense a chance to tie the game. In the end, the Giants were simply too much for the Dallas defense to handle, with defensive coordinator Christian Parker's unit turning in a performance that was eerily reminiscent of last year's disastrous defense.
New York's new-look offense ground this game to a halt, controlling the ball and the clock for most of the evening. The Giants finished the game with 36:40 of possession compared with only 23:20 for the Cowboys.
The Giants ran the ball 37 times for 165 yards and a touchdown, with Cam Skattebo (18 carries for 81 yards and the score) and Jaxson Dart (11 carries for 54 yards) doing most of the damage. Skattebo powered through the Dallas defense with regularity, while Dart gashed the Cowboys' defensive front with both designed runs and scrambles.
The running kept New York's offense on schedule throughout the game, and on the rare occasions where the Giants did face third-down opportunities, they were third-and-shorts that they were able to consistently convert. They went 9 of 11 on third down, so the offense was pretty much always on the field.
As a result of their grind-it-out style, both teams only had seven possessions in this game, as the Giants kept the not-so-high-flying Dallas offense on the sideline for much of the proceedings. The Cowboys had only two drives in the second half because the Giants just kept cranking out first downs and controlling the ball, and they successfully ran out the clock after starting their final drive of the night with over 5 minutes remaining in the game.
Likely signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Giants this past offseason, and at least for one night, he appeared well worth it. Likely racked up eight catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his skill set on the big stage.
The first score came on a corner route where he was left wide the heck open by the Dallas defense:
The second came on a nifty play design where the Giants motioned Braxton Berrios across the formation, had Cam Skattebo leak out into the flat and brought Likely to the inside for what essentially amounted to a shovel pass:
He also made an enormous catch on a late third-and-3 to give the Giants a first down and allow them to burn out the clock. He was uncoverable pretty much all night, with Dallas' linebackers and safeties repeatedly unable to stop him from getting where he wanted to go.
Despite scoring touchdowns on both of its second-half drives, it was a night to forget for the Dallas offense, which finished last season second in the NFL in total yards and seventh in points. The Cowboys managed just 244 total yards on 52 plays, a paltry 4.7 yards-per-play average that would have ranked 29th in the league last season.
Dak Prescott went 22 of 34 passing an averaged just 5.1 yards per attempt, and he threw a brutal interception that led to a Giants touchdown just before halftime:
George Pickens was pretty much invisible with just three catches for 28 yards, and he also had two bad drops, including one that could have resulted in a big play up the right sideline just snaps before Prescott's interception. CeeDee Lamb caught a touchdown pass and drew multiple pass interference penalties, but he couldn't break free down the field for any big plays.
Javonte Williams didn't get many opportunities with only 12 carries, but he also managed just 41 yards on his totes and was repeatedly bottled up at or behind the line of scrimmage with nowhere to run. The offensive line didn't allow a sack, but it also didn't clear any space for Williams and it allowed Prescott to be pressured heavily several times.
In all, it was an extremely uncharacteristic performance from the Cowboys' offense.
Boy were there a lot of penalties called in this game. Dallas was called for seven of them in the first half alone. The Giants were called for pass interference four different times -- twice each on two separate Cowboys scoring drives. Javonte Williams was also penalized for taunting on a late Cowboys touchdown, and it led to a missed extra point by Brandon Aubrey. In total, there were 19 penalties by the teams, resulting in 204 penalty yards. It was pretty ugly.
The Giants are going to win the season-opener. This four-minute drive opportunity they had to end the game has been just as surgical as their other drives in the second half. They converted their only third-down opportunity (they'll finish the game 9 of 11 on third down) and just ground out yards with Cam Skattebo against Dallas' overmatched front. Giants 1-0, Cowboys 0-1.
Javonte Williams gets his second touchdown of the game, this time on a swing pass from Dak Prescott. That was easily Dallas' best drive of the game, with Prescott finding receivers in open space for seemingly the first time all evening. Williams got called for taunting as he waltzed his way into the end zone, though, tacking 15 yards onto Brandon Aubrey's extra-point try, and Aubrey missed it wide to the right. Brutal mistake by Williams.
As mentioned, the Giants made easy work of the Dallas defense. Jaxson Dart hit several passes to Devin Singletary into the flat and all of them went for chunk gains, including the touchdown to push the lead up to 14 points. It's Dart's third touchdown pass of the game. The Giants are in total control here midway through the fourth quarter.
New York is easily cutting through the Dallas defense once again. Runs by Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo are gaining quick yards and the Giants are marching deep into Cowboys territory for the third straight drive. They have controlled the game offensively pretty much all night. Dallas' defense has zero answers.
Dallas goes 75 yards on 12 plays with its first drive of the half, ending with a 1-yard touchdown run by Williams. The drive was aided by multiple pass interference penalties on Dru Phillips covering CeeDee Lamb. The second one, at least, was pretty questionable.
The Giants have been called for pass interference four times in this game -- twice on two different drives. They have set the Cowboys up with first-and-goal at the 1-yard line again.
The Giants are rolling offensively on their last couple of drives. This was an easy one as they marched the ball right through the Dallas defense for a touchdown by Isaiah Likely. It's their second 10-plus-play touchdown drive of the game, and Likely's second touchdown catch of the game as well. The drive took up 8 minutes and 1 second and it was surgical.
The Giants took advantage of some brutal Cowboys coverage with four consecutive completions to wide-open receivers, with Isaiah Likely capitalizing for the touchdown on a corner route where nobody was within 10 yards of him. Giants take a lead late in the first half, and they'll get the ball coming out of halftime.
Dak Prescott makes a huge mistake here at the end of the half. It looked like he was trying to throw the ball away under heavy pressure, but he left it in bounds and Jevon Holland wound up with the interception. Giants force a turnover right back and have a chance to take the lead going into the half.
Tracy had a really rough preseason and his tough times continue here. Tracy bounced outside for a nice run on second-and-11 deep in Dallas territory but Quinnen Williams hit him with the Peanut Punch and knocked the ball out and into the waiting arms of Shavon Revel. Turnover for the Giants and Dallas has a chance to drive to take the lead in the two-minute drill.
The Dallas Cowboys rookie first-round safety records his first career sack on a blitz off the edge. Downs forced New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to fumble, and the Giants recover. Dallas defensive coordinator Christian Parker is getting creative with how he is utilizing his new rookie early on tonight.
After a pass interference penalty set them up with first-and-goal, the Cowboys had a pair of unsuccessful runs stopped short of the goal line. Then, it was a back-shoulder fade from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb for the first Cowboys touchdown of the season, and Lamb's first catch of the game. They're all tied up at MetLife Stadium.
New York has now been called for two pass interference penalties on third-down incompletions on this drive. Dallas is set up with first-and-goal at the 2-yard line.
Dallas has already been called for 7 penalties for 60 yards, including two that erased first downs on this drive alone. Very sloppy football from Brian Schottenheimer's group, which averaged 7.8 penalties per game last year.
The Cowboys have had two largely unsuccessful drives so far, and they are letting the Giants move the ball down the field with relative ease, helping them along with penalties. New York is on the move on its second drive, nearing midfield.
New York made quick work of the new-look Dallas defense on its opening drive. 10 plays, 83 yards and a short touchdown run by Cam Skattebo. The drive was helped by a late hit out of bounds on Jaxson Dart by Cowboys linebacker Demarvion Overshown. The touchdown came after the Cowboys declined to go for it on fourth-and-inches on their own opening possession.
Here's a quick look at some of the key matchups for this game.
Can't really tell by his body language, but he's definitely a true gametime decision.
