The New York Giants have struggled in primetime for the better part of the decade and despite a solid effort, that curse continued on Monday night.
The Giants and Dallas Cowboys played it tight for four full quarters but in the end, it was Cooper Rush & Co. who came out on top. A late fourth quarter touchdown pass put his team up and they wouldn’t look back.
There are no moral victories for Brian Daboll’s crew, but they once again weathered an early storm and nearly came away with the win — almost entirely because of a gutsy performance courtesy of quarterback Daniel Jones.
With the loss, which was highlighted by a seemingly endless storm of penalties, the Giants fall to 2-1 on the season.
Final score: Cowboys 23, Giants 16
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 16 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 23 |
Keys to the game
- The Cowboys pressured Daniel Jones 23 times, his him 12 times and sacked him five times.
- Giants lost time of possession, 32:42 to 27:18.
- New York was penalized eight times for 57 yards.
- Giants lost the turnover battle, 1:0.
- Big Blue had just three QB hits and no sacks.
It was over when...
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard had the ball punched out of his arms and fellow wide receiver Kenny Golladay dropped a pass on back-to-back plays late in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Daniel Jones, who was under constant pressure, positioned the team to go down and tie the score but the Giants were instead forced to punt.
Dallas had a big return and were able to capitalize with a field goal, putting them up 10 with 5:58 remaining. It was more than Jones and the offense were able to overcome.
Players of the Game
- RB Saquon Barkley (126 total yards, 1 TD)
- QB Daniel Jones (196 yards passing, 79 yards rushing, 1 INT)
- LB Azeez Ojulari (1 tackle, 3 forced penalties)
Injuries
Wide receiver Richie James Jr. got a little banged up early in the third quarter and missed a few plays but returned on the Giants’ next offensive series.
Kicker Graham Gano was stepped on by his own player with just minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and was limping after the fact. He stayed in the game but it’s something the Giants will keep an eye on.
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard suffered a non-contact injury with under 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter and had to be carted off. The injury was obviously serious.
What's next?
Giants head coach Brian Daboll will hold a Zoom call with the team’s beat writers on Tuesday afternoon before a few players are also made available.
The Giants will return to practice on Thursday ahead of a Week 4 game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, October 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is 1:00 pm. ET.
