The New York Giants faced the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8 in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season.
There were big expectations leading up to the opening matchup between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Tx., at AT&T Stadium Sunday afternoon. The biggest news surrounding the team involved contract agreements between the team and Ezekiel Elliott and the impending extension between the team and quarterback Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys were the favorites going into the traditional Week 1 matchup, and the team did not disappoint. Dak Prescott and the offensive line were solid under the new leadership of former Cowboys quarterback and current offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, as Prescott set a team record for most passing yards in a season opener. Prescott finished the game with a perfect 158.3% passer rating, going 25-for-32 with 405 yards and four touchdowns.
Dallas opened the game with possession of the ball, but it was New York who put the first points on the board with a touchdown by Evan Engram with 8:06 on the clock. Following a Dallas possession that consisted of 11 plays for 75 yards, Prescott passed the ball to Blake Jarwin for a 28-yard receiving touchdown, tying the game at seven.
In the next Dallas possession, Jason Witten, who returned from a one-year hiatus, scored the second Dallas touchdown slightly over the halfway point in the first quarter, giving the Cowboys the seven-point lead, 14-7, which they would hold onto going into the second quarter. Dak Prescott threw for his third consecutive touchdown when he connected with Amari Cooper for a 21-yard score, giving Dallas a 21-14 lead with just over one minute left in the first half. Eli Manning and his offensive line made a concentrated effort to score in the last possession of the second quarter, but were unable to produce any points, and the first half ended with Dallas on top 21-14.
Dak Prescott finished the first half with 20 of 26 completed passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, while Manning started his 16th season as an NFL quarterback going 13-for-19 with 102 yards and one touchdown. Elliott and Gallup led the stats at halftime for rushing and receiving for Dallas, respectively, and Saquon Barkley and Engram recorded the top stats for the Giants.
The Giants put the first points on the board in the second half with a 28-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas, and the Cowboys responded with a score in their first possession, as Prescott threw a 28-yard pass to Randall Cobb with 8:10 left in the third quarter.
The following Dallas possession was highlighted by a 63-yard Prescott pass to Michael Gallup on third down, keeping the possession alive for the Cowboys. Four plays later, Elliott rushed for ten yards, giving Dallas another touchdown with 1:12 left on the clock. The Cowboys would keep the 35-10 lead heading into the final quarter of the game.
The Giants opened the fourth quarter with possession of the ball, but after six plays for 21 yards, they were unable to produce any points, and for the first time in the game, Dallas didn’t convert their next possession into any points, either. New York was able to put one more touchdown on the board when Wayne Gallman ran up the middle for the Giants’ first scoring drive since the second quarter.
The Cowboys finished the game on top 35-17, and besides Prescott’s perfect passer rating, Elliott also showed out strong with 13 carries for 53 yards and one touchdown, while Gallup recorded seven receptions for 158 yards and Cooper finished with six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown.
Recap some of the most memorable #NYGvsDAL plays in 'Don’t Forget These 5️⃣' presented by @globelife
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 9, 2019
