The New York Giants finished their season on a two-game winning streak after defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 34-17, Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The win dropped the Giants down the draft board and also, technically, broke Dak Prescott’s stranglehold on the Giants, albeit Prescott did not play in the second half. Anyways, here’s the final five plays of the 2025 season:
Play 1: Rico Payton vs. George Pickens
The Giants rightfully benched Tae Banks after this abysmal effort (if I had a nickel every time that was said…)
Payton replaced Banks and had a crucial fourth-down one-on-one pass breakup against one of the best receivers in the league. Payton positioned himself well and timed his swat to knock the pass away.
Play 2: Daniel Bellinger – YAC KING!
Payton’s aforementioned defense against Pickens on fourth down set up a two-minute drill for Jaxson Dart, who connected multiple times with Gunner Olszewski on the drive. Dart drove the field – 11 plays for 96 yards for the touchdown above. The touchdown, however, came on a long third-and-16 at the Dallas’ 29-yard line; Mike Kafka dialed up a tight end screen that went for 29 yards as Daniel Bellinger found a crease and housed the creatively flipped pass, giving the Giants a 16-10 halftime lead.
Play(s) 3: Dart carving through Dallas
The Cowboys put Joe Milton in at quarterback for the second half, and the Giants’ defense forced a quick three-and-out. Dart then received the football back and went on a six-play drive for 62 yards for a touchdown to Tyrone Tracy Jr.
A fight broke out after the play, but Dart placed this well over Logan Wilson (55) and right into Tracy Jr’s numbers. Then this 2-point conversion by Devin Singletary – via his arm to Darius Slayton – made the score 24-10:
Mike Kafka did not leave anything in his bag against the Dallas Cowboys.
Play(s) 4: Vintage Bobby Okereke?
The Cowboys carved through the Giants’ defense on their opening possession: a nine yard pass, a nine yard run, a seven yard run, and a four yard pass that set up a first-and-ten at the Dallas 30-yard line – the Cowboys started at the one-yard line after an excellent job by the Giants’ punt converge team (rare praise for Michael Ghoberial’s unit).
Okereke took a late step to the line of scrimmage to pressure the A-Gap, and Prescott just lost his footing and dropped the football for the veteran linebacker to find. New York secured the football and went on to kick a field goal to score points after a three-and-out in Dallas’ territory. Okereke then secured this fourth quarter interception of Joe Milton:
Okereke sank and matched the vertical No. 3, and Milton did not account for the zone drop, as the Giants’ were expanded horizontally by the running back to the flat.
Play(s) 5: Ben Sauls, the answer?
The Giants had a comically bad kicker situation for multiple seasons. It was one of the many blights on the resume of Joe Schoen, and it cost New York multiple games across the last two seasons. However, undrafted rookie out of Pitt, Ben Sauls, assumed the kicker spot after Younghoe Koo kicked the ground and missed multiple attempts. Sauls started against the Vikings, and he hasn’t missed a kick in three games. He was 4-for-4 against the Dallas Cowboys and made all of his extra points.
His success is noteworthy after the Graham Gano, Jude McAtamney, and Younghoe Koo debacle. Sauls could be the answer for the Giants at kicker; he’ll at least have an opportunity to earn the role in training camp next season. As for this win against Dallas, Sauls helped secure a Giants’ rare win, while also kicking them down the draft board.
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