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New York Giants 34 – Dallas Cowboys 17

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NEW YORK GIANTS 34 – DALLAS COWBOYS 17…
The New York Giants proved they are good at one thing this season – that they can beat teams that are not trying to win. The Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-17 on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, finishing the season with a 4-13 record. The win was a bit hollow however as Dallas sat quarterback Dak Prescott in the second half as well as a number of other star players such as wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. The win also deprived the Giants of having the #2 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.

In terms of team statistics, the Giants out-gained the Cowboys in first downs (25 to 18), total net yards (380 to 286), net yards rushing (161 to 143), net yards passing (219 to 143), and time of possession (33:07 to 26:53). The Giants were much better on 3rd down, converting 8-of-14 (57 percent), while Dallas was 2-of-8 (25 percent). The Giants would have won be a larger margin had they been better in the red zone (2-of-5). The Giants won the turnover battle 2 to 1.

The Giants received the ball to start the game, picked up a first down, and punted. The Cowboys picked up two first downs, but sloppily fumbled the ball away as linebacker Bobby Okereke recovered a botched snap at the Dallas 28-yard line. The Giants only gained two yards and settled for a 45-yard field goal by place kicker Ben Sauls. The Cowboys then responded with a 9-play, 61-yard drive. They reached the New York 4-yard line but were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal. The game was tied 3-3.

On the Giants’ third drive, they drove 44 yards in eight plays. They reached the 10-yard line but were pushed back and settled for a 35-yard field goal. New York’s 6-3 lead was short. Wide receiver KaVontae Turpin returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards to the New York 11-yard line. After losing three yards, running back Jaydon Blue easily ran up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown. The Giants then drove 61 yards in 11 plays, but again stalled in the red zone after reaching the 3-yard line. The 23-yard field goal by Sauls made it a 1-point game, with the Cowboys up 10-9.

The Cowboys drove 65 yards in 11 plays reaching the New York 4-yard line. But on 4th-and-2, Prescott, who was under pressure, had his pass broken up by cornerback Rico Payton. The Cowboys turned the ball over on downs with less than three minutes in the half. The Giants then put together an 11-play, 96-yard drive that resulted in a dramatic touchdown. On 3rd-and-16 with 31 seconds left, quarterback Jaxson Dart was under immediately pressure, he escaped the sack by making a improvised back-hand flip to tight end Daniel Bellinger for a short gain. Bellinger broke the play back across the field en route to a 29-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

At the half, the Giants were up 16-10.

The Cowboys went three-and-out to start the second half. The Giants then took control of the game when they drove 62 yards in just six plays. Dart threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to running back Tyrone Tracy. The Giants went for two, with running back Devin Singletary successfully completing a pass to wide receiver Darius Slayton. The Giants were now up 24-10.

Dallas crossed midfield, reached the New York 39-yard line but missed the 57-yard field goal attempt. The Giants gave the ball right back to the Cowboys when Tracy fumbled the ball away in Dallas territory. This momentum shift continued with the Cowboys driving 69 yards in 10 plays, scoring from 1-yard out to cut the score to 24-17 on the first play of the 4th quarter. The Giants responded with a long drive – 11 plays and 61 yards – but again stalled in the red zone and settled for a 30-yard field goal by Sauls. The Giants were now up 27-17.

The Giants pretty much put the game away when quarterback Joe Milton was intercepted by Okereke at the 40-yard line, returning it seven yards to the Dallas 33. Six plays later, Singletary scored from six yards out to give the Giants a 34-17 lead with less than six minutes to play. Dallas gained one first down and then punted. The Giants ran out most of the last four minutes of the game.

Dart was 22-of-32 for 230 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. His leading target was wide receiver Gunner Olszewski with eight catches for 102 yards. Tracy also had eight catches for 56 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 18 times for 103 yards.

Defensively, the Giants did not accrue a sack and only had two quarterback hits. They did come up with two turnovers.

GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS are available on YouTube.

ROSTER MOVES, PRACTICE SQUAD ELEVATIONS, INACTIVES, AND INJURY REPORT…
On Saturday, the Giants placed WR Wan’Dale Robinson (rib), DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (Ankle/Toe), and CB Cor’Dale Flott (Knee) on Injured Reserve.

Signed to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad were RB Dante Miller, WR Xavier Gipson, and CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse.

The Giants also activated (standard elevation) TE Tanner Conner and DL Casey Rogers from the Practice Squad.

Inactive for the game were WR Jalin Hyatt (Illness), TE Theo Johnson (Illness), S Jevón Holland (Knee/Concussion), RB Dante Miller, WR Ryan Miller, OLB Caleb Murphy, and QB Russell Wilson (3rd QB).

ILB Darius Muasau (ankle) left the game with an injury.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

NOTES…

  • QB Jaxson Dart  finished this season with the second-most passing yards (2,272) by a Giants’ rookie in franchise history.
  • Dart totaled 24 touchdowns this season, the third-most by a rookie in franchise history behind Daniel Jones (26 in 2019) and Charlie Conerly (27 in 1948).
  • RB Tyrone Tracy finished the season with 1,028 yards from scrimmage, making him the third player in franchise history to have 1,000+ scrimmage yards in each of his first two seasons, joining Odell Beckham Jr. (2014-15) and Saquon Barkley (2018-19).
  • ILB Bobby Okereke finished the season with 143 tackles, the fourth-most ever by a Giant. He is the only Giant in franchise history with multiple seasons with 140+ tackles.
  • The Giants’ offense rushed for 22 touchdowns this season, the third-most in franchise history behind only the 1985 team (24 touchdowns) and the 1930 team (27 touchdowns).
  • The Giants also rushed for 100+ yards in nine consecutive games, the longest streak by the franchise since 2010.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka will address the media by Zoom on Monday.