Jaxson Dart, Isaiah Likely and a patient Giants offense finish off Cowboys 28-20

The game kept turning back toward New York

The first touchdown arrived at 6:40 of the opening quarter, when Cam Skattebo ran in from 3 yards, and that early shape never really changed. Dallas could answer, but New York kept reclaiming control before the Cowboys could build any momentum. In a game with only seven drives for each team, those answers mattered more than usual.

Dallas drew level at 5:44 of the second quarter on Dak Prescott’s 1-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb, but the tie did not survive to halftime. With 20 seconds left in the half, Jaxson Dart found Isaiah Likely for a 15-yard score and a 14-7 lead. That sequence set the tone for the rest of the evening: every time the Cowboys gave themselves a foothold, the Giants had another finishing play ready.

The same pattern returned after the break. Likely’s second touchdown, a 2-yard catch at 6:59 of the third quarter, pushed the margin to 21-7. Dallas cut it back to 21-14 on Javonte Williams’ 1-yard run with 37 seconds left in the quarter, but New York answered again when Dart hit Devin Singletary from 9 yards at 7:26 of the fourth. Prescott’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Williams at 5:21 made it 28-20, yet the missed extra point left Dallas chasing eight points instead of seven, and that proved to be the score that held.

Dart's precision, Likely's finish, Skattebo's balance

What stood out most about the Giants offense was not one giant number. It was how neatly the pieces fit together. Dart completed 23 of 29 passes, threw three touchdowns and did not give the ball away through the air. Likely was his clearest red-zone answer, catching eight passes for 78 yards and two scores, while Malik Nabers added six receptions for 69 yards and kept the passing game moving between touchdowns. Singletary’s four catches included the final Giants touchdown, giving Dart three different scoring connections across the night.

New York also avoided becoming one-dimensional. Skattebo carried 18 times for 81 yards and the opening score, while Dart added 54 rushing yards of his own on 11 attempts. That balance showed up in the broader numbers: 29 first downs, 68 plays, 165 rushing yards, 36:40 of possession, 9-for-11 on third down and a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone. The Giants punted only once. That is not just productivity; it is sustained control.

Dallas was efficient in flashes, but short on volume

There is an oddly frustrating quality to the Cowboys stat line, because parts of it were genuinely good. Prescott completed 22 of 34 passes for two touchdowns. Dallas went 8-for-11 on third down, finished 3-for-3 in the red zone and did not allow a sack. On many Sundays, that combination keeps a team squarely in command. Here, it was not enough, because the Cowboys managed only 244 total yards, ran just 52 plays and held the ball for 23:20.

That shortage of volume made every lost detail heavier. Prescott’s lone interception, claimed by Jevon Holland, came in a game where Dallas could not spare many empty possessions. Williams did strong dual-duty with 41 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown plus five catches, 31 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air. Lamb added five receptions for 44 yards and Dallas’ first score. Still, the ground game never became a real counterweight: the Cowboys finished with 69 rushing yards on 18 attempts, and their longest run was Prescott’s 10-yarder. Compared with New York’s 37 rushing attempts, Dallas spent too much of the night trying to do more with less.

Our take: a useful blueprint for New York, a clear lesson for Dallas

Our take: this was a convincing offensive template for the Giants because it rested on repeatable traits. They stayed on schedule with the run, converted on third down, finished all four red-zone trips with touchdowns and let Dart play an accurate, clean game. That said, New York also left itself something obvious to tighten up. Ten penalties for 114 yards and four fumbles, even with only one lost, are the kind of numbers that can turn a controlled win into a stressful one against a sharper opponent.

For Dallas, the lesson is not that everything failed. Plenty worked. The Cowboys were good on third down, perfect in the red zone and solid in protection. The problem was that the offense did not create enough outside those finishing situations, and the margin for error disappeared. Nine penalties for 90 yards, one interception, 175 passing yards at 5.1 per attempt and only 69 rushing yards meant Dallas had to be nearly flawless in the moments that remained. The Giants were not flawless either, but they were fuller. Over 60 minutes, that was the difference at MetLife Stadium.

Scoring moments

1. Period 1 · 6:40

   Cam Skattebo 3 Yd Rush (Dominic Zvada Kick)

2. Period 2 · 5:44

   CeeDee Lamb 1 Yd pass from Dak Prescott (Brandon Aubrey Kick)

3. Period 2 · 0:20

   Isaiah Likely 15 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Dominic Zvada Kick)

4. Period 3 · 6:59

   Isaiah Likely 2 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Dominic Zvada Kick)

5. Period 3 · 0:37

   Javonte Williams 1 Yd Rush (Brandon Aubrey Kick)

6. Period 4 · 7:26

   Devin Singletary 9 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Dominic Zvada Kick)

7. Period 4 · 5:21

   Javonte Williams 17 Yd pass from Dak Prescott (Brandon Aubrey PAT Failed)