John Harbaugh calls his debut as New York Giants The coach was “more than I expected” after Isaiah Likely’s two touchdowns helped the hosts win their opener 28-20 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Super Bowl XLVII winner Harbaugh left the Baltimore Ravens after 17 years to take over the Giants, calling out the atmosphere at MetLife Stadium for NFL Week 1 “absolutely electric from start to finish”.
“This crowd,” marveled the 63-year-old. “I’m telling you the parking lot was off the chain driving here. It was packed, I’m talking four and a half hours before the game.
“I got there early, thinking it would be easy to get in here, and it wasn’t. The sideline was electric before the game. It was all an environment and really great to be a part of.”
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: Harbaugh Explains ‘Mindset’
Jaxson Dart provided Likely’s touchdowns and provided another to Devin Singletary after Cam Skattebo scored first on the running back’s return from injury.
Dak Prescott’s layup allowed CeeDee Lamb to tie Dallas in the second quarter and Javonte Williams cut the deficit twice as well.
“My dad always says this, he’ll say it in the car on the way home, that I’ve never had a better win than this,” Harbaugh said.
“He says it every time. This time it could be true. But this was really special because these guys … have believed from the beginning, don’t roll your eyes (and) just try to do the right thing every day, to be on point.
“Even when they’re not ready, they’re going to bounce back and do well. Maybe there’s a false start, they’re going to come back on the next play and find a way to make a play and erase the mistake and make it right and make it better.
“Buying that kind of mentality just in practice and seeing it come through in the game, that’s what, as a coach, you feel so good about.”
New York Giants: MetLife ‘awesome’ in NFL Week 1
Harbaugh called MetLife Stadium “awesome.” “It was everything you’d think, but it was more than I thought,” he reflected.
“I want us to play well enough that we can create that atmosphere every week here all season long.
“That’s up to us. That’s our job as coaches and players: to build a football team good enough to deserve this kind of stadium every time we play.”
Malik Nabers injury: Giants catcher returns
Malik Nabers had six catches for 69 yards after spending nearly a year out with a right knee injury at receiver.
“I had a feeling two and a half, three hours before the game when he came out and tried it,” Harbaugh said.
“He felt ready. That’s when the decision was made. It was his call. He had been medically discharged, but he had to feel ready.”
“He had to feel ready to go and perform the way he wanted to, and he did. He played a great game, played a great game.”
Jaxson Dart: Why Giants quarterback’s display was ‘great’
Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards. “To see the quarterback execute the way he did … he had a lot on his plate, too,” Harbaugh said.
“We can get better in and out of the huddle, at the line, calling the plays, all kinds of things, as far as running.
“But Jaxson did a great job of handling it because he had a lot going for him. Some of those line of scrimmage throws on the sideline were just accurate type throws.
“It was a great performance by Jaxson. We had a really good game plan. The coaching staff worked really well together.
“We made a lot of good plays that we thought could be game-changing plays. You have to have those kinds of plays and that was one of those calls.
“The first touchdown run was one of those calls, too, where you just try to create plays that are going to make the difference for us. They did a great job with that.”
Here are some of Dart’s key stats against the Cowboys.
| Completions (attempts) | courtyards | Touchdowns | interceptions | sacks |
| 23 (29) | 230 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
NFL Week 2 Schedule
Thursday 18 September: Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills – 01:15 BST.
Sunday 20 September: Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons – 6pm BST
Sunday 20 September: New Orleans Saints @ Baltimore Ravens – 6pm BST
Sunday, September 20: Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears – 6pm BST
Sunday 20 September: Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans – 6pm BST
Sunday, September 20: Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots – 6pm BST
Sunday 20 September: Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets – 6pm BST
Sunday 20 September: Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6pm BST
Sunday, September 20: Philadelphia Eagles @ Tennessee Titans – 6pm BST
Sunday 20 September: Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos – 21:05 BST
Sunday, September 20: Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers – 9.05pm BST
Sunday, September 20: Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals – 9.25pm BST
Sunday, September 20: Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys – 9.25pm BST
Sunday 20 September: Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers – 9.25pm BST
Monday, September 21: Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs – 01:20 BST
Tuesday, September 22: New York Giants @ Los Angeles Rams – 01:20 BST