John Harbaugh's Giants on full display in bruising win over Cowboys to kick off NFL season

For months, the talk throughout the tri-state area had been about this new era for the New York Giants .

How could it not be, as John Harbaugh, after almost two decades with the Baltimore Ravens, signed on as the next Giants head coach.

It was a post he said he felt pride assuming, understanding the expectations and pedigree he was supposed to bring back to a prestigious franchise that had been reeling until his arrival.

Well, the Harbaugh era kicked off in the best way possible for Giants fans on Sunday night, as they took down the Dallas Cowboys , 28-20, in the hard-nosed fashion that was to be expected with this new regime.

From the very beginning, the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out and got a sold-out MetLife Stadium crowd on their feet as Jaxson Dart and company took the field for the first time in 2026.

What ensued was a 10-play, 83-yard drive that took 6:13 off the first-quarter clock and resulted in a Cam Skattebo touchdown.

While Harbaugh may not have enjoyed Skattebo’s celebratory backflip, the 7-0 lead on the opening drive was exactly what this coaching staff wanted to see with its top offensive weapons out there for the first time this season.

Long drives were a theme for the Giants in this game, as they used a bruising run game, and some creative play-calls that came at the right time, to fluster the Cowboys’ defense, which was supposed to be an improved unit this season.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.

DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW! Instead, it looked like the Cowboys defense from last season, which struggled to match the power of the offense.

The Giants converted nine of its 11 third downs in this game, and though the Cowboys had eight of their 11 third downs that moved the chains, New York’s came at the right time it seemed on each drive as they methodically moved downfield to set themselves up for scores.

And two of those touchdowns came from Harbaugh’s past with the Ravens.

Isaiah Likely proved to be the catalyst many believed he could for the Giants this season, hauling in two of Dart’s 3 touchdown passes as he finished with a game-high 78 yards on eight receptions.

CAM SKATTEBO HORRIFIES GIANTS FANS BY ATTEMPTING A BACKFLIP DESPITE COMING OFF A LEG INJURY Just behind him, though, was Malik Nabers, whom the Giants made sure to be cautious with up until gametime this week.