For years, the New York Giants have been one of those teams that could make noise for a week or two before reality eventually caught up with them.
After Sunday night, that conversation may need to change.
The Giants opened the 2026 NFL season by beating the Dallas Cowboys 28–20, but the final score doesn’t fully explain why this win matters. New York didn’t steal the game on a late miracle play. The Giants controlled the Cowboys for long stretches, dictated the pace, protected the football when it mattered most and repeatedly converted on third down.
More importantly, Jaxson Dart looked like a quarterback who might be ready to take a major step forward.
Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns while adding 54 rushing yards. Isaiah Likely caught eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Cam Skattebo returned from injury and rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown. Malik Nabers also made his return and caught six passes for 69 yards.
The Giants finished with 394 total yards, held the ball for 36:40 and converted nine of 11 third-down opportunities.
That is not a lucky win.
That is a team controlling a football game.
And suddenly, the NFC playoff picture looks a little more interesting.
John Harbaugh Has Changed the Conversation
The Giants hired John Harbaugh because they needed more than another coach with a good offensive system.
They needed somebody who could change the culture.
Harbaugh’s first game couldn’t have gone much better.
The Giants played physical football, stayed aggressive and didn’t panic when Dallas attempted to fight its way back into the game. Even after the Cowboys cut the deficit to 21–14, New York answered with another long scoring drive.
That drive was important.
Instead of giving Dallas an opportunity to completely flip the momentum, the Giants methodically moved down the field and eventually scored on a nine-yard pass from Dart to Devin Singletary.
Dallas then scored again, but New York had already done enough damage.
The Giants ran out the final 5:16 after getting the ball back, essentially ending the Cowboys’ comeback hopes without giving Dak Prescott another possession.
That’s the type of closing sequence playoff teams need.
Jaxson Dart Might Be the Biggest Reason for Optimism
Let’s be honest.
Everything starts with the quarterback.
If Dart is simply an average quarterback, the Giants are probably fighting for a wild-card spot.
If Dart becomes a legitimate franchise quarterback, the ceiling changes completely.
Against Dallas, Dart showed both sides of his game.
He was accurate through the air, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes. He also created problems with his legs, rushing for 54 yards. His three touchdown passes came without the kind of reckless mistakes that can destroy a young quarterback’s performance.
And perhaps most importantly, he looked comfortable.
That matters.
Young quarterbacks often spend their first few seasons trying to survive.
Dart looked like he was trying to control the game.
That doesn’t mean we’re ready to put him in the same conversation as the NFC’s established stars after one game.
But it does mean the Giants have something extremely valuable: a quarterback who gives them a chance to build around him.
The Giants Have More Weapons Than They Had Before
Dart’s performance also can’t be separated from the talent around him.
Malik Nabers returned from an ACL injury and immediately gave the offense another dangerous weapon.
Cam Skattebo returned to action and provided physicality in the running game.
And then there was Isaiah Likely.
The former Ravens tight end followed Harbaugh to New York and immediately became one of the biggest problems Dallas couldn’t solve.
Likely caught all eight of his targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns. His two scores came at critical moments and helped give the Giants control of the game.
That could become one of the most important developments of the season.
If defenses have to worry about Nabers outside, Likely attacking the middle and Dart escaping the pocket, the Giants suddenly have multiple ways to hurt opponents.
And that’s before we even see how this offense develops over the next several weeks.
But Here’s the Question: Are They Actually a Playoff Team?
This is where we need to pump the brakes.
One win doesn’t erase everything.
The Giants still have to prove they can do this against different styles of opponents.
They also play in an NFC East that includes the defending conference contenders Philadelphia and a Washington team that isn’t going to simply disappear.
The Eagles opened the season with a 24–22 win over Washington, while Dallas now sits at 0–1.
So the Giants don’t suddenly own the division.
But they have done something important.
They have put themselves into the conversation.
And that’s all you can really ask for after Week 1.
The Cowboys Loss Makes the Giants Win Even More Interesting
There is another side to this.
Dallas was expected to be competitive.
Instead, the Cowboys’ rebuilt defense struggled badly against New York.
Dallas gave up 394 yards, couldn’t consistently stop the Giants on third down and allowed New York to average 4.5 yards per carry. The Cowboys also managed only 244 total yards.
Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer admitted afterward that the Giants were the more physical team.
That’s significant because physicality is one of the easiest things to overlook when analyzing Week 1.
The Giants didn’t just outscore Dallas.
They outmuscled them.
That could become a recurring theme under Harbaugh.
My NFC Playoff Prediction
I’m not ready to predict the Giants will win the NFC East.
I’m also not ready to put them among the conference’s elite.
But I am changing my prediction.
Before Week 1, New York looked like a team that needed everything to go right to make the playoffs.
After Week 1?
I think the Giants have a legitimate shot at winning nine or 10 games.
And if Dart continues playing like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if they push for a wild-card spot.
My early prediction:
Giants finish 10–7 and make the NFC playoffs as a wild card.
That’s obviously a long way from becoming reality.
But the ingredients are there.
A quarterback showing serious promise.
A healthy Nabers.
A dangerous tight end.
A physical running game.
A coach with a Super Bowl pedigree.
And, perhaps most importantly, a team that already looks like it knows how it wants to play.
The Verdict
The Giants haven’t proven they’re a playoff team yet.
But they have proven something else.
They’re no longer an easy team to ignore.
A 28–20 win over Dallas won’t guarantee anything in September. The Giants could struggle next week and suddenly everyone will start questioning them again.
That’s the NFL.
But the way New York won makes this different from a fluky Week 1 upset.
They controlled possession.
They converted third downs.
They ran the football.
They protected their lead.
And their young quarterback looked confident doing it.
The NFC playoff race is going to be brutal.
But if Jaxson Dart continues developing, Malik Nabers stays healthy and John Harbaugh gets this defense playing at the same physical level as the offense, the Giants could be one of the teams nobody wants to face in December.
My prediction: New York isn’t winning the NFC East — but the Giants are making the playoffs.
And if Dart really is the quarterback they think he is, this could be the beginning of something much bigger.
