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It’s been a long time coming. For the first time since his rookie season in 2016, the New York Giants have defeated the Dallas Cowboys in a game in which Dak Prescott has started.
Although many will be upset with the ramifications that these last two victories have had on the G-Men’s trade value come the draftl, it was still exciting to see this team finish a regular season strong for the first time since 2023. Quarterback Jaxson Dart had another brilliant outing to close out his rookie campaign, completing 22/32 passes for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a unique 29-yard long shovel pass to tight end Daniel Bellinger while the young QB pulled his way out of a facemask grab.
Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. also had a monster day, running for 103 yards on 18 carries while also hauling in a receiving touchdown to close out a year which was off to a rocky start with a dislocated shoulder suffered in week 3. However, the second-year back finished the year strong with his second straight season with 1,000 plus scrimmage yards to start his career, becoming only the third Giant in history to do so; joining Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley.
In the receiving department, Gunner Olszewski might have had one of his greatest games in a Giants uniform, hauling in eight receptions for 102 yards on a day where the Big Blue receiving core was extremely short staffed as Wan’Dale Robinson went on IR a few days ago.
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Defensively, it was a rough start for New York. Dallas rookie running back Jaydon Blue was carving them up early and often, with a 27 yard rush as well as a 14-yarder which would end up being the first touchdown of the young Cowboy’s career. All-in-all, mostly through the combined efforts of Blue and backup QB Joe Milton, who replaced Prescott in the second half, the Cowboys ran for 143 yards as the Giants showed no signs of improvement on fixing their abysmal run defense which will have been known as their Achilles heel over the last two years.
It was a better game when it came to air traffic control, with the combined efforts of Prescott and Milton only putting up 143 passing yards and an interception caught by Bobby Okereke (his second pick in two weeks) on 24 pass attempts. Safety Dane Belton also racked up 13 total tackles in a standout performance to close out a solid season for the fourth-year man out of Iowa.
The General Consensus
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Mercifully, this 18-week limp to the finish line is finally over. What started off as a promising first six weeks off the back of victories over the then-unbeaten Chargers and an especially exciting win over the Philadelphia Eagles on a memorable Thursday night turned into a winless nine-game stretch of misery filled with heartbreaking losses, ill-timed injuries, and dramatic firings. While there’s a lot to be excited about next season with the returns of standouts Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo looming as well as a nearly guaranteed new head coaching hire, many fans were frustrated with the Giants winning seemingly ‘meaningless’ games to close out the year. However, with all of the pieces this squad has in place plus some new ones on the way, there’s no reason not to be excited when we find out who will join this hopeful young roster when the G-Men pick fifth in April.
-Jack Barber
Works Cited
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