Harbaugh: Giants' victory vs. Cowboys in debut ranks as No. 1 win right now

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  Jordan RaananSep 14, 2026, 01:54 AM ET

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  Jordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- John Harbaugh's first game as the New York Giants' coach went as planned. His team played physical football during a 28-20 win over the rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

It left the longtime head coach, who spent the previous 18 seasons in Baltimore, pleased with his Big Apple debut.

"This was really special because these guys, these players, these guys who have believed from the beginning, they don't bat an eye," Harbaugh said after watching his team outplay the Cowboys. "They just try to do the right thing every single day. They try to be on point. And even when they're not on point, they're going to bounce back and make it right. Maybe there is a mistake. Maybe there is a false start. They find a way to make a play and erase the mistake and make it right and make it better.

"Buying into that kind of mindset, just when you see it in practice and see it happen in a game, that is what as a coach you feel so good about."

Harbaugh came to New York wanting to build a big, physical team. The Giants outrushed Dallas 165-69. He wanted his team to play disciplined situational football. New York ran out the final 5:16 of the contest to preserve the win.

Afterward, Harbaugh was presented the game ball from owner John Mara.

"We have one more game ball. It's his first victory as New York Giants head coach," Mara said before handing him the ball.

The Giants' players proceeded to shower Harbaugh with cheers. They jumped and danced around him. Harbaugh did the same. He later celebrated in the locker room with his parents, who came in Friday to witness their younger son's first game as Giants coach.

Harbaugh, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, was asked in his postgame news conference to rank this among his 205 career victories.

"It's No. 1," he said. "Because it's the one right now."

This is something he learned from his dad, Jack, a longtime former coach at Western Kentucky. Jack always told his son the most recent win was the best win.

"'John, you never had a better win than that,'" he recalled hearing from his dad on every car ride home. "He says it every time. I think this time it might be true."

The Giants' players took pride in getting Harbaugh his first win. They've embraced their new coach and everything he has preached.

It helps that the blueprint Harbaugh laid out when he first arrived worked to perfection in his first game.

"From Day 1, he told us he wants to punish the other team and run the ball and throw play-action passes. That's what we did [Sunday night]," said running back Cam Skattebo, who led the Giants with 81 yards rushing. "The stuff we did worked. They trusted the plan, and we came out here and executed."

So the Harbaugh era got off to an almost perfect start. The Giants started the season with a win for just the second time in 10 seasons.

It was a statement against a Dallas team that had beaten the Giants in 16 of the past 18 matchups. It perhaps was a warning to the NFC East that they could be a threat with a Super Bowl-winning head coach now running their organization.

"It was huge," quarterback Jaxson Dart said. "I just think that we have so much respect for Coach [Harbaugh], and this team will do whatever he says because we have all the faith that he's gonna put us in the best situation. The identity of a team starts at the top. It starts with how he's conducted himself, with how he's created a tough team.

"We want to take that on our shoulders and we bought in to what his plan is week in and week out. We're definitely happy to get it for him. We're just really happy we did it not only for the players but for the organization."