Winning is different in New York.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks reminded the world of this fact during the summer of 2026, again turning Manhattan into the sports capital of the globe.
On Sunday Night Football, John Harbaugh turned Jaxson Dart into one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, while the new-look Giants threw it back to the best of their old days.
âÂÂWe took steps in that direction. I think weâÂÂre on our way," said Harbaugh, after his Giants coaching debut turned into a 28-20 home stomping of the longtime rival Dallas Cowboys on national TV.
Dart was highly efficient during the Giants' 2026 opener, completing 23-of-29 passes for 230 yards, three touchdowns and a near-perfect 134.2 rating.
The No. 25 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft was also exciting between the lines and returned to the electric swagger that briefly made him one of the hottest names in the league last season.
Dart became the first QB in NFL history to open a season with at least three passing TDs, 50 rushing yards and a 130 rating.
The Utah native also produced the highest passer rating by a Giants QB in a season opener since 1984 (Phil Simms, 157.6).
"I'm talking about a second-year quarterback who ... was in that Ole Miss offense, and that offense last year was kind of an extension of that in some ways, right?" Harbaugh said.
"So, for him to have all this on his plate and to execute the way he did, to me, was just tremendous and very impressive."
If the 2025 draft was held on Monday, Dart would be the first QB selected, while actual No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward wouldn't be taken until the second round.
Throw in the return of a healthy Malik Nabers (six catches, 69 yards) and a healthy Cam Skattebo (18 rushes, 81 yards, touchdown), and the backflipping-Giants were the biggest winners of Week 1.
"It was more than I expected in all honesty. It was incredible," said Harbaugh, as the ex-Ravens head coach embraced his Giants future in New York.
"The stadium was unbelievable. It was everything that you would think, but it was more than I thought. It was really something. I want us to play well enough that we can create that atmosphere every single week here going forward throughout the season."
On the other side of the field, Jerry Jones' latest Super Bowl dream started 0-1 and again fell flat on the NFL's biggest regular-season stage.
âÂÂOverall as a football team, we were pretty poor,â second-year Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer said.
âÂÂThatâÂÂs certainly not our standard. We certainly didnâÂÂt come out of the gate fast enough on either side of the ball. This is a humbling business, and we got humbled.âÂÂ
Schottenheimer waited 50 years to become an NFL head coach.
Ranking the top 10......
Quarterbacks of all-time - Can anyone better Tom Brady?
Wide receivers of all-time - Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?
Running backs of all-time - Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more
Tight ends of all-time - How does Travis Kelce compare?
Now, he's 7-10-1 overall while leading the richest sports team in the world, while an offense that spent the preseason proclaiming that it's GOTI -- greatest offense there is -- randomly sputtered for four quarters.
Only Prescott would tease all-time greatness during training camp and insist that the Cowboys were Super Bowl or bust, then answer his own hype in Week 1 by failing to throw for 200 yards and getting outplayed by Dart in New York City.
Dart and Skattebo obviously must stay healthy in year two, while Harbaugh must navigate the Giants through a winnable NFC East that features the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Cowboys all clawing for the same top spot.
But in the first Sunday Night Football game of 2026, NFL fans across the globe were reminded of what was so evident last year.
Dart can be a city-changer for the Giants under Harbaugh's leadership.
The overpaid Prescott isn't close to great, and Uncle Jerry could soon tire of a below .500 coach failing to win with the Cowboys' GOTI offense.