Giants open the Harbaugh era with a 28–20 win over Dallas
By Jordan Vance
John Harbaugh waited nine months for his first game as Giants head coach. He got a win over one of the franchise's toughest recent opponents to start it — Dallas had beaten New York in nine of their last ten meetings. The Giants took this one 28–20.
Jaxson Dart made sure of it. He went 23-of-29 for 230 yards and three touchdowns, added 54 yards on the ground, and didn't turn the ball over. It's the kind of clean, complete game a young quarterback needs to have in front of a new coaching staff, and Dart delivered it in the Giants' biggest spotlight game in years.
Isaiah Likely stole the show, not Malik Nabers. Nabers was playing his first game back from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season, and he'll take the workload — six catches on nine targets for 69 yards. But Likely, who followed Harbaugh from Baltimore this offseason, was the one who couldn't be stopped: eight catches on eight targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Devin Singletary added a third passing score out of the backfield. Cam Skattebo, back himself from the broken fibula that cost him the final nine games of his rookie year, looked every bit the lead back — 18 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, with Tyrone Tracy Jr. reduced to mop-up work (two carries).
Dallas hung around behind Javonte Williams, who did it all — 41 yards and a touchdown on the ground, five catches for 31 yards and a second score through the air. His 17-yard touchdown catch pulled the Cowboys within single digits in the fourth quarter, though he picked up a taunting penalty on the very next snap that cost Dallas fifteen yards. Dak Prescott finished 22-of-34 for 175 yards, two touchdowns and an interception — a quiet, mistake-prone night by his own standard, and Brandon Aubrey missing an extra point didn't help. Dallas also lost defenders Malik Hooker (forearm) and DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) to injury as the game slipped away in the second half.
Fantasy winners
Dart looks like a legitimate weekly start after this. Likely was the top tight end in fantasy this week. He ran nearly even with Nabers on targets (eight vs nine) and caught every one — Dart's security blanket on Sunday, not a reason to dump Nabers after one game. Skattebo's 18 of the Giants' 26 running-back carries is one of the clearest lead-back signals from Week 1.
Fantasy questions
Nabers got nine targets in his first game back. That's short of his name value, but ten months after an ACL is a reason to wait, not panic. Williams, meanwhile, did enough as both a runner and receiver to be one of the best waiver-adjacent stashes in dynasty if Dallas keeps feeding him work in the passing game.