The New York Giants gave everybody plenty to talk about after Week 1, and for good reason. A 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys is the kind of result that can shift the mood around a team fast, especially when it comes against a division opponent that has had New York’s number for more than a decade.
But the first game of the season can only tell you so much. The Giants looked sharper, more bought in, and more comfortable with new head coach John Harbaugh than plenty of people expected.
That much is clear. What’s not clear yet is whether one strong showing means the bigger issues are suddenly gone.
Harbaugh was already the preseason favorite for 2026 Coach of the Year, and that stock only went up after the Dallas win. Austin Mock of The Athletic’s NFL Projection Model had New York’s playoff odds jump from 14 percent to 33 percent. That kind of leap sounds dramatic, but it also comes after one game, not a finished season.
The defense still has plenty to sort out. A secondary that was already thin is now banged up and short-handed, and the revamped front seven did not get home for a sack against Dallas even though it created pressure. If the Giants are going to be taken seriously as a divisional force, let alone an NFC threat, that side of the ball has to start turning pressure into production.
On the other hand, the offensive line set the tone. New York controlled the game by leaning on the run and bleeding the clock, and the Cowboys never really found a way to speed things up.
The Giants finished with 36 minutes and 46 seconds of possession, the fourth-highest mark of Week 1, and the game featured just seven drives for each team. In a week where 23 teams ran at least 10 offensive drives and the league average was 12, New York clearly dictated the pace.
There are still questions in the passing game, too. Malik Nabers’ return was encouraging after he tore his ACL and meniscus nearly a year ago, but it also exposed how little depth the Giants have behind him.
Only two other receivers - rookie Malachi Fields and Darnell Mooney - caught two passes, and neither got to 30 yards. That does not include tight end Isaiah Likely.
So yes, a 2-0 start against the Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams suddenly feels more plausible than it did in early September. But if Week 1 told us anything, it’s that the Giants are improved, not complete. The defense is still being built, and Jaxson Dart’s supporting cast still has work to do.
In Other News...
Giants Already Have Tough Calls On Their 2027 Free Agent Class
Week 1 is barely in the books, but the Giants are already getting an early look at a 2027 free-agent class that could shape the roster for years. The evaluation covers 18 players and sorts them by how their opening-week performance affected their standing, with some like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Darnell Mooney helping themselves while others left more questions than answers. Long-term injury cases were left out of the picture, so this is really about who has a path to sticking and who still has work to do.
Micah McFadden and ArDarius Washington were among the players whose roles and value took a hit, which is the kind of early-season development that can matter more than it seems in a league where timing drives contract decisions. For a Giants team trying to sort out its future without waiting for the calendar to catch up, the real challenge is already taking shape: figuring out which of these potential free agents are building toward long-term deals and which ones are slipping into tougher territory. [Read more 🡒]
Giants May Have An Unexpected Opening In Tough Rams Matchup
The Giants are heading into Monday night with no shortage of uncertainty on either sideline, and that alone could shape how they approach a difficult matchup with the Rams. Deonte Banks and Micah McFadden are both listed as questionable for New York, while Los Angeles has its own long injury list, with Puka Nacua questionable, Jordan Whittington doubtful and Kamren Kinchens ruled out.
For the Giants, the biggest practical challenge is treating Nacua as if he will be available, even with the Rams managing several key absences around him. In a game where both teams are sorting through late-week injury concerns, the final availability report could matter as much as the matchups themselves, especially for a New York defense trying to plan without clarity and an offense that may need to be ready for a different kind of game than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxson Dart Just Earned The Rams' Attention For A Bigger Test
Matthew Stafford didnt need long to notice Jaxson Dart after Week 1. The veteran Rams quarterback gave the rookie credit for playing well, staying within himself and using his legs to make plays, a measured endorsement that carries some weight coming from a passer who has seen just about everything in this league. For a young quarterback still trying to settle in, that kind of acknowledgment is a useful sign that he put enough on tape to earn respect.
Respect, though, wont change the way Los Angeles approaches the next matchup. The Rams are still expected to push Dart hard and test the parts of his game that can be pressured, even as his ability to extend plays gives New York another layer to lean on. For the Giants, the question is whether Dart can build on that opening impression when the challenge gets sharper and the margin for rookie mistakes gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]