Jaxson Dart closed his rookie season on a high note as New York pulled away from Dallas. Al Bello / Getty Images
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By Charlotte Carroll, Jon Machota, and Denny Alfonso
The New York Giants closed their season with a 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, a result that delivered short-term satisfaction but came with draft-day consequences. Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Giants were in position to earn the No. 1 pick entering Week 17. Now, after two straight wins to end the season, they’ll fall somewhere between No. 3 and No. 6.
Still, the finale offered a glimpse of optimism, particularly behind rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, without an interception.
The first half swung back and forth, with both teams trading field goals before Dallas briefly moved in front on a Jaydon Blue touchdown run. But Dart steadied the Giants late, engineering a 96-yard march capped by a creative flip to Daniel Bellinger that sent New York into halftime ahead 16-10.
That drive was emblematic of how Dart finished his rookie season, closing the year with two confident performances. Just as notable was his increased awareness as a runner, avoiding unnecessary contact after enduring multiple concussion evaluations earlier in the season.
For the Cowboys, it was a fitting end to a season defined by inconsistency and defensive breakdowns. Despite playing many of their top offensive weapons extensively, Dallas struggled to match the Giants’ energy and execution. The Cowboys were outgained 380-286, lost the time-of-possession battle 33:07-26:53 and committed a pair of turnovers. They lost four of their last five games.
Jaxson Dart finishes rookie season strong
While Giants fans might not be thrilled about their draft positioning, they have to be happy with how Dart completed his rookie season. The quarterback finished the year completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 2,268 yards and 15 touchdowns, with five interceptions. He added 487 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. After looking like a shell of himself against the schemes cooked up by Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores in Week 16, Dart put together two strong final games. He looked more like the confident player that fans had come to love earlier in the year. But one of the more important developments Dart made was his decision-making when on the run.
He was criticized early on for taking too many hits, was checked for concussions five times and missed two games with one. But by season’s end, Dart was doing a much better job of sliding and getting out of bounds on runs. While Dart has done plenty to assure his spot as the team’s starting quarterback, it will be a big offseason for the rookie as he awaits a decision on a new head coach. — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer
One shining moment
Giants co-owner John Mara received the game ball after Sunday’s victory. “Talk about toughness and resilience, he’s the poster child for that,” interim head coach Mike Kafka said. Mara announced at the end of September that he was battling cancer but would remain involved with the team throughout his treatment. Mara has been the team’s president and CEO since his father, Wellington Mara, died in 2005.
The moment was well-received in the locker room with Mara’s family present for the moment. “He’s going through a lot so the fact that he shows up for us, still comes to the facility to work, he loves ball,” quarterback Jaxson Dart said. “He loves this organization. He gives it everything that he has.” — Carroll,
Cowboys end season in disarray
End the season with some positive momentum. That was the Cowboys’ goal heading into Sunday’s season finale. Doesn’t seem like much of that was built in losing to a Giants team that entered with only three wins. Despite Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and many other starters playing the entire first half, if not more, the Cowboys finish the season 7-9-1. That means back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2002.
There’s no reason the Cowboys should have played so poorly. No surprise that the defensive issues continued. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke with a small group of reporters before the game about not putting all of the defensive blame on coordinator Matt Eberflus. “Don’t blame this all on Flus,” he said. “This took five or six years to get here. … I can make a case for you that we haven’t had a satisfactory defense for five or six years, really.” That’s kind of Jones to say, but nothing has changed. There’s no way he can seriously consider bringing Eberflus back after this disastrous season. — Jon Machota, Cowboys reporter
Jadeveon Clowney shines as Cowboys eye return
The biggest bright spot for Dallas on Sunday: DE Clowney. The soon-to-be 33-year-old proved this season that there is plenty of tread left on his tires. He signed with Dallas on a one-year deal in mid-September, making his Cowboys debut in Week 4. He’s been one of Dallas’ very few defensive standouts this season, and was again on Sunday. The Cowboys have acknowledged that they want to re-sign him. Clowney has stated that he wants to play next season for the Cowboys. Getting a deal done seems like a no-brainer. — Machota