The John Harbaugh era in New York started with a win. The Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd, opening the 2026 season with the physical, run-heavy identity Harbaugh promised when he left nearly two decades with the Baltimore Ravens to take the job.
The defense set the tone immediately, forcing a three-and-out on Dallas’s first possession. The offense followed with a 10-play, 83-yard drive that ate 6:13 off the first-quarter clock and ended with a Cam Skattebo touchdown. Skattebo celebrated with a backflip, a move Harbaugh reportedly did not appreciate but one that got the crowd on its feet as the Giants took a 7-0 lead.
Long, sustained drives were the story of the night. The Giants converted nine of 11 third downs. New York ground out 165 rushing yards on 37 carries, more than double the Cowboys’ 69 yards on the ground, under offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and run game coordinator Greg Roman.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Isaiah Likely, who led the Giants with 78 yards on eight catches. Likely, part of Harbaugh’s past with Baltimore, was a key target in the passing game all night.
Malik Nabers made his return after tearing his ACL in Week 4 last season. Harbaugh had kept his availability uncertain all week, and Nabers had not practiced in a non-contact uniform. He got clearance from trainers before kickoff and finished with six catches for 69 yards in front of more than 80,000 fans.
Odell Beckham Jr., who made the 53-man roster out of training camp, was active but did not see a target from Dart. The Giants leaned instead on their ground game and quick-strike passing to Likely and Nabers.
The Cowboys defense, expected to be improved this season, instead struggled the way it did a year ago, unable to slow New York’s methodical drives or match the physicality Harbaugh’s staff built into the offense.
For a Giants team that had been reeling before Harbaugh’s arrival, Sunday night in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was the first evidence that his vision for a tougher, more physical roster can translate to results.
