Cowboys 20, Giants 28: drive chart, EPA and box score

Week 1 · Sun, Sep 13 · MetLife StadiumFinal

Final

	1	2	3	4	T
DAL	0	7	7	6	20
NYG	7	7	7	7	28

Home · 5-2-1New YorkGiants28

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 9:18 PM ET

The New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sun, Sep 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (Week 1, 2026 season). Records after the game: Cowboys 4-5, Giants 5-2-1. J.Dart (NYG) led all players with +22.0 EPA on 33 dropbacks.

Who won Cowboys vs Giants?

The New York Giants won 28-20. By quarter: DAL 0-7-7-6, NYG 7-7-7-7.

Who was the best player in Cowboys vs Giants?

By expected points added: J.Dart (NYG, +22.0 EPA on 33 dropbacks), D.Prescott (DAL, +11.3 EPA on 36 dropbacks) and I.Likely (NYG, +11.0 EPA on 8 targets).

What was the turning point of Cowboys vs Giants?

The biggest swing in win probability (12 points toward the Giants) came in Q2 at 0:20: (Shotgun) J.Dart pass short right to I.Likely for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Zvada extra point is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Cowboys 20, Giants 28: Week 1 recap”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-09-13-dal-at-nyg (updated 2026-11-11).

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The Verdict

Week 1 issue →

Week 1EarnedGame file →

Cowboys46% success · +0.22 EPA/play

2028

Giants60% success · +0.24 EPA/play

DAL 24% deserveddeserved 76% NYG

Giants earned it: the snaps said Giants by 3.9, a deserved win probability of 76%.

Deserved marginNYG by 3.9

Real marginNYG by 8

Luck pts DAL−3.7

Luck pts NYG+4.4

The swingQ2 2:00 · NYG · −11 pts of win probability. (Shotgun) 29-T.Tracy left end to DAL 21 for 8 yards (92-Q.Williams). FUMBLES (92-Q.Williams), RECOVERED by DAL-28-S.Revel at DAL 19. 28-S.Revel to DAL 16 for -3 yards (78-A.Thomas).

Flags that moved this game

1Unnecessary RoughnessDAL → helped NYG · Wk 1 Q1 9:38 · (Shotgun) 6-J.Dart left end ran ob at DAL 37 for 22 yards (0-D.Overshown). PENALTY on DAL-0-D.Overshown, Unnecessary Roughness,…+9.0 WP
2Defensive Pass InterferenceNYG → helped DAL · Wk 1 Q2 9:57 · (Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass incomplete deep right to 3-G.Pickens (20-G.Newsome) [0-B.Burns]. PENALTY on NYG-20-G.Newsome,…+7.6 WP

Fourth downs our model disagreed with

1DAL · 4th & 4Brian Schottenheimer chose Punt at own 43, Wk 1 Q1 2:05, down 7. Model: Go for it (lean). Result: punted.−0.29 EP

Deserved win probability from the snaps, fumble bounces evened out. How we judge

From the Lab

This game, re-drawn

All Lab tools →

Game DNA133 plays, one strand0 lead changes · 3 explosive plays · downloadable poster →

Officiating crewCarl Cheffers19 accepted flags in this game · 13.3 a game this season (one of the quietest crews)Market vs SnapsLine: DAL by 3 · Snaps: NYG by 3.9Giants covered; the snaps agree

20@28

Week 1Changes the winner

If the Cowboys had recovered that fumble

Cowboys after the play32%what really happened

Q2 2:36 6-J.Dart sacked at DAL 36 for -8 yards (13-C.Downs). FUMBLES (13-C.Downs) [13-C.Downs], recovered by NYG-76-J.Runyan at DAL 34. 76-J.Runyan to DAL 29 for 5 yards (53-D.Winters).

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Home win probability, play by play

The river

100%

Hover, tap or drag along the river to read any play. Arrow keys work too. Click to jump to its drive.

NYG ▲DAL ▼

Q1Q2Q3Q4

The five biggest swings

+12%Q2 0:20 · for NYG(Shotgun) J.Dart pass short right to I.Likely for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Zvada extra point is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.
+9%Q2 9:57 · for DAL(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass incomplete deep right to G.Pickens (G.Newsome) [B.Burns].PENALTY on NYG-G.Newsome, Defensive Pass Interference, 38 yards, enforced at DAL 24 - No Play.
+8%Q1 9:38 · for NYG(Shotgun) J.Dart left end ran ob at DAL 37 for 22 yards (D.Overshown).PENALTY on DAL-D.Overshown, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at DAL 37.
+8%Q2 2:00 · for DAL(Shotgun) T.Tracy left end to DAL 21 for 8 yards (Q.Williams). FUMBLES (Q.Williams), RECOVERED by DAL-S.Revel at DAL 19. S.Revel to DAL 16 for -3 yards (A.Thomas).
+7%Q3 1:59 · for DAL(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb to NYG 2 for 15 yards (P.Adebo).

Every drive, on the field

NYG attacks →← DAL attacks

Q1 15:00PUNT3p · 5y · 2:07
Q1 12:53TD10p · 83y · 6:13
Q1 6:40PUNT9p · 32y · 4:41
Q1 1:59PUNT7p · 28y · 4:31
Q2 12:28TD10p · 85y · 6:44
Q2 5:44FUM8p · 64y · 3:54
Q2 1:50INT6p · 20y · 1:01
Q2 0:49TD6p · 55y · 0:29
Q2 0:20HALF3p · 13y · 0:20
Q3 15:00TD12p · 74y · 8:01
Q3 6:59TD12p · 75y · 6:22
Q3 0:37TD13p · 65y · 8:11
Q4 7:26TD9p · 74y · 2:05
Q4 5:21END12p · 47y · 5:21

Cowboys6 drives3scoring drives (3 TD)50%drives ending in pointsOWN 20avg starting field position1three-and-outs1turnovers incl. downs

Giants6 drives4scoring drives (4 TD)67%drives ending in pointsOWN 25avg starting field position0three-and-outs1turnovers incl. downs

Scoring summary

Q1
6:40Touchdown(Shotgun) C.Skattebo left end for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Zvada extra point is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.0–7
Q2
5:44Touchdown(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.7–7
Q2
0:20Touchdown(Shotgun) J.Dart pass short right to I.Likely for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Zvada extra point is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.7–14
Q3
6:59TouchdownJ.Dart pass short right to I.Likely for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Zvada extra point is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.7–21
Q3
0:37TouchdownJ.Williams right tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.14–21
Q4
7:26Touchdown(Shotgun) J.Dart pass short left to D.Singletary for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. D.Zvada extra point is GOOD, Center-B.Mann, Holder-J.Stout.14–28
Q4
5:21Touchdown(Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short left to J.Williams for 17 yards, TOUCHDOWN. ** Injury Update: NYG-G.Newsome has returned to the game. PENALTY on DAL-J.Williams, Taunting, 15 yards, enforced between downs. B.Aubrey extra point is No Good, Wide Right, Center-T.Sieg, Holder-B.Anger.20–28

Team stats

DALvsNYG

244Total yards394

175Passing yards229

69Rushing yards165

4.7Yards per play5.8

21First downs29

8-11 · 73%Third down9-11 · 82%

0-0Fourth down0-0

3-3Red zone TDs4-4

22/34Comp / att23/29

3.8Yards per carry4.5

1Turnovers1

0Sacks allowed2 (−1 yds)

9 for 90Penalties10 for 114

23:20Possession36:40

Expected points added · nflverse model

The game in EPA

EPA per play+0.221+0.369

Dropback EPA+0.314+0.667

Rush EPA+0.010+0.061

Success rate46%60%

Explosive plays14

Plays5265

Who moved the needle

J.DartDropbacks: 33+22.0

D.PrescottDropbacks: 36+11.3

I.LikelyTargets: 8+11.0

C.LambTargets: 8+5.6

M.NabersTargets: 9+5.0

J.DartCarries: 9+3.6

Cost their side the most

D.SingletaryCarries: 6-1.0

C.SkatteboCarries: 18-0.6

Box score

Dallas Cowboys

Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
Dak PrescottQB	22/34	175	5.1	2	1	0-0	81.2	84.8

Rushing	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Javonte WilliamsRB	12	41	3.4	1	8
Dak PrescottQB	2	14	7.0	0	10
Hunter LuepkeFB	1	7	7.0	0	7
Emari Demercado	2	7	3.5	0	4
CeeDee LambWR	1	0	0.0	0	0

Receiving	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
CeeDee LambWR	5	8	44	8.8	1	15
Javonte WilliamsRB	5	5	31	6.2	1	17
George PickensWR	3	6	28	9.3	0	11
Ryan FlournoyWR	2	4	22	11.0	0	17
Brevyn Spann-FordTE	2	2	14	7.0	0	8
Luke SchoonmakerTE	1	1	12	12.0	0	12
Jonathan MingoWR	1	1	10	10.0	0	10
KaVontae TurpinWR	1	1	8	8.0	0	8
Jake FergusonTE	2	2	6	3.0	0	6

Defense	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	QB HTS
Donovan EzeiruakuLB	10	4	0.5	1	2
Jalen ThompsonS	9	3	0	0	0
Caleb DownsS	8	4	1	0	1
DaRon BlandCB	8	3	0	0	0
DeMarvion OvershownLB	7	1	0	0	0
Jaishawn BarhamLB	6	3	0	1	0
Malachi LawrenceLB	5	2	0	0	0
Dee WintersLB	4	4	0	1	0
Otito OgbonniaDT	4	2	0	0	0
Quinnen WilliamsDT	3	1	0	0	1

Kicking	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Brandon AubreyPK	0/0	0.0	0	2/3	2

New York Giants

Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	QBR	RTG
Jaxson DartQB	23/29	230	7.9	3	0	2-1	76.4	134.2

Rushing	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Cam SkatteboRB	18	81	4.5	1	13
Jaxson DartQB	11	54	4.9	0	22
Devin SingletaryRB	6	16	2.7	0	4
Tyrone Tracy Jr.RB	2	14	7.0	0	8

Receiving	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Isaiah LikelyTE	8	8	78	9.8	2	19
Malik NabersWR	6	9	69	11.5	0	16
Darnell MooneyWR	2	2	27	13.5	0	18
Malachi FieldsWR	2	4	25	12.5	0	19
Devin SingletaryRB	4	4	22	5.5	1	13
Theo JohnsonTE	1	1	9	9.0	0	9
Patrick RicardFB	0	1	0	0.0	0	0

Defense	TOT	SOLO	TFL	PD	QB HTS
Tremaine EdmundsLB	8	7	0	0	0
Arvell ReeseLB	5	5	1	0	1
Deonte BanksCB	4	4	0	2	0
Chauncey GolstonDE	4	2	0	0	0
Paulson AdeboCB	3	3	0	0	0
Tyler NubinS	3	3	0	0	0
Greg Newsome IICB	3	2	0	0	0
Abdul CarterLB	3	0	0	0	1
Brian BurnsLB	2	2	0	0	0
Malik HarrisonLB	2	2	0	0	0

Kicking	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Dominic ZvadaPK	0/0	0.0	0	4/4	4

Starters, confirmed

ConfirmedEvery game →

Confirmed from the official snap counts: at every position group the starters are the snap leaders. Expected lineup = today's depth chart, adjusted for the injury report.

Expected, did not start

Brevyn Spann-FordTE→ Jake Ferguson

Tyler SmithLG→ T.J. Bass

Joey Porter Jr.LCB→ Cobie Durant

Malik HookerFS→ Jalen Thompson

Markquese BellSS→ P.J. Locke

J.J. McCarthyQB→ Jaxson Dart

Devin SingletaryRB→ Cam Skattebo

Bryan HudsonC→ Francis Mauigoa

Aaron StinnieRG→ John Michael Schmitz Jr.

Darius AlexanderRDE→ Chauncey Golston

Micah McFaddenRILB→ Tremaine Edmunds