EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jaxson Dart threw the 14th and 15th touchdown passes of his rookie year and the New York Giants ended their lost season on a two-game winning streak by beating the Dallas Cowboys 34-17 on Sunday.
That and other results around the NFL took the Giants (4-13) out of the running for a top-two pick and clinched No. 1 for Las Vegas. New York routed the Raiders last week to end a nine-game skid.
Dart has said he cares more about winning than draft position and played like it in his 12th professional start. He was 22 of 32 for 231 yards with TD passes to Daniel Bellinger — on a shovel pass-and-run — and Tyrone Tracy.
While the Giants were shorthanded because of injuries and illnesses, they treated this like any other game with their starters going the distance. Dallas (7-9-1) took it more like an exhibition game, including Dak Prescott exiting after halftime.
Prescott completed seven of 11 passes for 70 yards and lost a fumble off a botched snap before being replaced at quarterback by Joe Milton to begin the third quarter. Prescott finished the season with 4,552 yards passing, the second most of his decade-long career behind only 4,902 in 2019.
Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah each rushed for their first NFL touchdowns for the Cowboys, who lost to the Giants for the first time since the 2020 season finale on Jan. 3, 2021. They had won nine consecutive meetings and Prescott had won 17 in a row as the starter.
Heated rivalry
After the Dart-to-Tracy TD connection early in the third quarter, tempers flared between lineman on both sides. New York guard Greg Van Roten held on to Sam Williams’ facemask, and Dallas’ Donovan Ezeiruaku followed suit and then some as flags flew.
Ezeiruaku ripped Van Roten’s helmet off and was ejected. The Giants made the ensuing 2-point conversion, giving kicker Ben Sauls a breather during a game in which he made all four of his field goal attempts.
Injuries
Cowboys: S Markquese Bell was ruled out before halftime with a concussion. … S Alijah Clark was a late scratch for personal reasons.
Giants: LB Darius Muasau left with an ankle injury in the third quarter. … CB Rico Payton was evaluated for a concussion.
Up next
Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer is expected to return for a second season as coach, though defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and other assistants could be gone.
Giants: A coaching search is in the offing, with the question of whether general manager Joe Schoen will oversee it.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Great Job Stephen Whyno, Associated Press & the Team @ KSAT San Antonio Source link for sharing this story.
