This could have been a statement win for the Giants.
Russell Wilson should have had his moment in the sun after enduring a week of deafening pleas for his job. Even Brian Daboll should have felt the temperature of the hot seat beneath him cool down just a little.
Big Blue was on the cusp of their first win of the 2025 season, on the cusp of breaking an eight-game losing streak against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys, and were doing so in spectacular fashion.
With 25 seconds left, Wilson uncorked one of his signature moon balls to Malik Nabers for a 42-yard touchdown to put the Giants up 40-37 — what should have been the final act of a remarkable 450-yard, three-touchdown day for the veteran passer.
One of the most memorable games in Giants/Cowboys history was going to go New York’s way. But there was enough time for defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to dirty things up with his fingerprints, and he managed to derail the Giants in spectacular fashion.
Following a Dallas kick return that started the final possession of regulation on its own 33-yard line with 19 seconds to go, tight defense from the Giants (0-2) was a must. Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is the best deep kicker in the game, and he has the leg to hit from 70 yards if needed.
The Giants’ defense got the first play right. Bowen sent pressure at quarterback Dak Prescott, who was unable to connect on a short attempt to George Pickens.
When called upon, New York’s pass rush was successful against the Cowboys. They sacked Prescott three times and had another seven hits on him — even if a few of them were flagged for roughing the passer during the flag-fest, which saw the Giants penalized 14 times for 160 yards.
But with fourteen seconds to go, Bowen put the leash on his defense. He sat them back to play prevent defense, which gave Dallas the entire middle of the field.
In the most predictable of circumstances, Prescott capitalized, connecting with tight end Jake Ferguson for an 18-yard gain, which set up Aubrey’s game-tying 64-yard field goal to force overtime.
“Got to play tight coverage,” Daboll said. “Got to do some things rush-wise. Made some good plays. They just made one more play than we did.”
Wilson’s difficult overtime should have never happened had Bowen’s defense made just one stop. It is already abundantly clear that he does not know how to properly utilize his team’s strongest point, the pass rush, and Sunday’s showing only confirmed that. New York was ripped open for 478 yards and 40 points.
The Kansas City Chiefs are looming in Week 3 for the Giants’ home opener, and another poor effort will only inch Bowen closer to the door. This is Daboll and GM Joe Schoen’s last stand, and with their jobs on the line, desperation is only going to grow with every loss.
