The New York Giants opened the John Harbaugh era with a statement win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and Sky Sports NFL's Jeff Reinebold has backed their first-year head coach to steer them back into playoff contention. Harbaugh took the reins on a coasting Giants organisation earlier this year after parting from the Baltimore Ravens following 18 seasons as head coach. Awaiting him was a team of young talent seeking direction after just two winning seasons in the last 10 years, with Jaxson Dart inspiring fresh hope at quarterback alongside a pass rush tipped to join the league's elite units.
The first sign of Harbaugh's impact came in week one as the Giants beat their divisional rival Cowboys 28-20 after three touchdown passes from Dart, two of which went to Isaiah Likely, and a rushing score from Cam Skattebo. Josh Allen delivers more late drama for the Buffalo Bills, Derrick Henry stars for the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears flex their scoring power on a wild opening Sunday of the 2026 NFL season. Welcome to the weekend review...
"You're going to see the Harbaugh stamp on these Giants," Reinebold said on Inside the Huddle podcast. "The Giants in the last three or four years have been getting better, incrementally better. "Harbaugh's staff didn't draft Jaxson Dart, they didn't draft Cam Skattebo, they didn't draft Malik Nabers.
There's a bunch of good players in New York that they didn't draft. "But what Harbaugh has done is he has created a culture in New York that's been lacking. Now you continue to build your roster as they have, and bringing in Isaiah Likely was a good move.
If you're a Giants fan, you've got to really like the direction that this thing is going. I don't think they're going to win their division. I do think they could be a playoff team." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player An electric MetLife Stadium crowd would be treated to a hungry and driven team desperate to shake off the disfunctional cobwebs of predeceasing Giants outfits.
It marked their first week one home victory since 2010 and their first opening weekend win since 2022. Next up is a road trip to face the Los Angeles Rams following their loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne. The Giants last reached the playoffs in the 2022 season when they finished third in the NFC East before beating the Minnesota Vikings on Wild Card weekend and eventually suffering a 38-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.
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