ARLINGTON, Texas – It wasn't pretty by any means, but being 1-1 is much better than 0-2 through two weeks of a season, especially when both games are divisional ones.
It took overtime to get there and came down to the final seconds, but the Cowboys picked up their first win of the season and Brian Schottenheimer era in 40-37 fashion over the New York Giants.
With the win, Dallas has now won their last nine games against the G-Men, and quarterback Dak Prescott has won 14 straight, not holding a loss since his rookie season against New York.
Here's some more news and notes from Sunday afternoon's thriller at AT&T Stadium:
It wasn't always pretty for the Cowboys in their home opener, but Dallas found a way to move to 1-1 on the season in a 40-37 win over the New York Giants.
Injuries to watch
Following a kickoff return in the third quarter, wide receiver and All-Pro kick returner KaVontae Turpin suffered a neck injury and went to be examined in the team's medical tent.
Turpin was initially ruled as questionable to return to the game, but did not end up coming back in Dallas' 40-37 win over the Giants. Turpin had the team's first touchdown of the game on a ten-yard reception up the seam from Dak Prescott. It is Turpin's sixth career receiving touchdown with Dallas.
After the game, Turpin had a neck brace on, but told reporters that his x-rays were negative.
Second-year center Cooper Beebe was also lost later in the game with an ankle injury. He was ruled questionable but also did not make a return, and Brock Hoffman filled in for him at center the rest of the way.
The ground game
After having just six rushing touchdowns through the entirety of the 2024 season, Cowboys running backs Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders have already gone beyond the halfway mark to that goal through just two games in 2025.
Williams broke away for a 30-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to give the Cowboys their first lead of the afternoon. It was the longest touchdown run of his career, and his longest run since his rookie year in 2021 with the Broncos. Sanders followed it up with a four-yard score in the fourth quarter to retake the lead for Dallas.
On the day, Williams finished with 18 carries and 97 yards to go along with his touchdown and a big-time hurdle late in the fourth quarter, and Sanders capped things off with 5 carries for 15 yards and a score. Dallas' offense had a total of 135 yards rushing.
Welcome to Dallas, Kenny Clark
In his first game on the home sideline at AT&T Stadium, defensive tackle Kenny Clark recorded his first sack as a member of the Cowboys.
Dallas wanted Clark from Green Bay in the trade for Micah Parsons because he could give the team a huge boost when defending the run. Over the course of his career, he's been able to both stop the run at a high level and get after the passer, and he's continuing to show it through his first two games. He's been a help on the ground too, as the Giants offense was held to 84 yards on 21 carries.
The Cowboys defense finished the day by bringing down Russell Wilson three times, with free agent addition James Houston recording Dallas' second sack, and the team being counted for one additional one.
Perfect timing
George Pickens could not have possibly picked a better time to catch his first touchdown pass as a Dallas Cowboy, scoring from six yards on an out-route in contested coverage. Dak Prescott put it right where he could get it, and the Cowboys had scored the dagger… right?
Well, no. Chaos ensued as Russell Wilson hit Malik Nabers for a 48-yard touchdown just 27 seconds later, and then Brandon Aubrey hit a game-tying 64-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired. In the overtime period, Prescott and Pickens connected on a 27-yard gain to get Dallas into Aubrey's field goal range, and Prescott's 14 yard carry two plays later made it an easier kick for Aubrey.
After a Week 1 game where Brian Schottenheimer and Prescott both admitted they could've done a better job of getting Pickens more involved in the offense, Pickens came up big when the team needed him two, catching five of his nine targets for 68 yards and the touchdown.
What didn't show up on the stat sheet was Pickens drawing multiple defensive pass interference penalties on the Giants secondary, which helped set up the Cowboys offense in better field position and gets points on the board earlier in the game.
Smooth as Butter
A 64-yard field goal to tie the game with an 0-2 result on your back if it doesn't go in? No problem for Brandon Aubrey, who drilled one with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.
As if that wasn't enough, The Cowboys turned to Aubrey again as time expired in overtime. After Dak Prescott went vintage and scrambled for 14 yards up the middle with :36 seconds remaining, Aubrey trotted out and drilled a 46-yard field goal to secure Dallas' first win of the season.
It was Aubrey's fourth field goal of the game, as he finished with makes from 44, 46, 51 and 64 yards. With guys like Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, Jake Ferguson and Hunter Luepke signed to long-term deals, performances like today's make it likely only a matter of time before Aubrey inks his own extension.
Work to do
After a promising performance to start the season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, the Cowboys struggled in their home opener against the Giants. Nonetheless, they got the win and know they have things to clean up.
New York had struggles of their own, finishing the game with 14 penalties for 160 yards. Still, Dallas wasn't much better with 12 penalties of their own for 106 yards.
Defensively, Matt Eberflus' unit struggled to stop Russell Wilson and the Giants offense in the passing game. Wilson finished 30/41 for 450 yards and three touchdowns against his former offensive coordinator in Brian Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer said Wilson was one of the best deep ball passers he's ever seen, and Wilson proved it on Sunday.
Wan'Dale Robinson and Malik Nabers had a field day against the Dallas secondary, combining for 309 receiving yards and three touchdowns, including a jaw-dropping go-ahead touchdown to Nabers on a signature Wilson moonball from 48 yards out with :25 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
