ARLINGTON, Texas — The Giants came to Dallas on Sunday a desperate team.
Brian Daboll’s bunch was 0-1, after going 3-14 and 6-11 the past two seasons. Fans were already calling for first-round rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to replace fading veteran Russell Wilson.
So how would this success-starved franchise — led by a hot-seat coach — answer against a scrambling NFC East rival that also fell in Week 1?
By finding a way to lose, of course. Because that’s what the Giants do best, even when offering encouraging performances.
The Cowboys needed overtime, but they prevailed 40-37 as Wilson threw a killer interception that won’t quiet any of the Dart chatter.
In overtime, the Giants went four-plays-and-out on their first drive, advancing just 7 yards. On their second possession, Wilson foolishly threw a deep-ball interception on second down, giving Dallas the ball at its 30.
The Cowboys quickly marched 42 yards and got a 46-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey as time expired.
• End-of-regulation drama
First, the Giants looked like they were going to lose, after the Cowboys scored a touchdown with 52 seconds left to go up 34-30. But the Giants responded with Wilson’s 48-yard deep-ball touchdown to Malik Nabers with 25 seconds remaining. An epic Giants win, right?
Well, the Cowboys then advanced 21 yards and got a 64-yard field goal from Aubrey as time expired, to force overtime.
• Russell Wilson cooks, Jaxson Dart debuts
After the Micah Parsons trade, was this Cowboys defense perhaps vulnerable?
Even as Dart debuted with sporadic action (three snaps), Wilson performed well: 450 yards and three touchdowns. The Giants gained 506 yards.
As for Dart, he made his NFL regular-season debut with 12:51 left in the game, when he entered for one snap and handed off to Cam Skattebo for a 24-yard run to the 1-yard line. Wilson re-entered for the next play — a touchdown run by Skattebo that put the Giants up again, 23-20.
That was the Giants’ first red-zone touchdown Sunday, on their fifth try — a pathetic success rate.
Dart made another single-snap appearance with 5:28 left, as he handed off to Tyrone Tracy for a 2-yard gain. Dart’s next and final snap came three plays later, when he slipped and lost 3 yards on a keeper.
The Giants on Saturday handed a flimsy leak to ESPN: They want to be patient with Dart and not give Wilson a quick hook — but, also, that doesn’t mean a quarterback change would not happen soon.
Here are our other takeaways from Week 2:
• Too many penalties: The Giants were an undisciplined mess throughout Sunday’s game. Daboll needs to get this corrected immediately. This team isn’t good enough to erase its margin for error.
The Giants committed 14 penalties for 160 yards — absolutely insane numbers. Penalties plagued them in the first half. And that continued to be the case after halftime. It’s hard to win like that.
• Better start (mostly): Unlike last week, the Giants got off to an encouraging start offensively. They desperately needed it.
They led 13-10 at halftime after gaining 251 yards. Wilson threw for 235 (including a pretty 29-yard touchdown to Malik Nabers) and posted a 132.3 rating. Wan’Dale Robinson had five catches for 98 yards, Nabers five for 86. Both receivers were targeted six times.
One issue for the Giants overall in the first half: They committed nine penalties for 80 yards. That doesn’t even include three (on one play) committed by their defense late in the half. (A Dallas flag offset those penalties.)
• When will Andrew Thomas return? That’s a huge question for the Giants, regardless of who plays quarterback. It’s unclear when Thomas’ surgically repaired foot will be fully healthy. In the meantime, the Giants are scrambling for answers at left tackle.
It became obvious last week that James Hudson was a massive liability. He proved it once again on Sunday’s opening drive, during which he drew four penalties for 40 yards and got replaced by fifth-round rookie Marcus Mbow. The Giants need to roll with Mbow until Thomas returns.
But there’s no telling when that might happen, which is a major issue — not just for this offensive line, but for the offense as a whole.
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