Year four of the Brian Daboll era got off to an encouraging start in Saturday afternoon’s preseason opener, as New York’s starters played well in a competitive win over the Buffalo Bills.
Russell Wilson and the starting offense opened the game with a 12-play drive that resulted in a Graham Gano field goal. From that point, rookie Jaxson Dart was the main event, as he saw his first NFL action and displayed some encouraging flashes including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey to make it 10-0.
On defense, the Giants forced the Bills starters to go three-and-out on their first drive, and the next Buffalo drive also ended in a punt. It’s worth noting, however, that Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen and key starters James Cook and Khalil Shakir did not play.
The Bills left their starters in the game against New York’s reserves and cut the lead to 10-7 early in the second quarter on a touchdown pass from Mitch Trubisky to Dawson Knox. However, two more Gano field goals pushed the lead back out to 16-7 before halftime. A Bills field goal as time expired made it 16-10 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Bills took a 17-16 lead when Mike White threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to KJ Hamler on fourth down. However, the Giants recaptured a lead late in the period when Jameis Winston threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Gunner Olszewski and the two-point conversion to rookie tight end Thomas Fidone to make it 24-17.
White led another touchdown drive to put the Bills back in front 25-24 in the fourth quarter, but New York once again responded and went 27-25 up on Jude McAtamney’s field goal with 7:13 to go. Tommy DeVito’s 9-yard pass to Derrick Ward just before the two-minute warning provided the final margin.
Here are the key takeaways…
– New York’s starters operated with a vanilla gameplan with Wilson mainly just dumping the ball off underneath. However, he was efficient as he went 6-for-6 until his third down pass was deflected incomplete to force them to settle for Gano’s first field goal.
– Dart, who did not play after halftime, completed 12-of-19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown as he impressed in terms of his ability to sense and avoid the rush. His best throw was the touchdown pass to Humphrey, thrown with good touch despite pressure in his face as Humphrey beat his man in single coverage for an over the shoulder catch.
– The rookie wasn’t flawless, though. Two throws were almost intercepted, and the timing was off between him and his receiver on a few incompletions. One thing he needs to work on is being aware of where the linemen are, so he doesn’t have passes tipped or batted at the line. In all, it was an encouraging first appearance, though.
– James Hudson got the start at left tackle, giving Giants fans a chance to see what the offensive line might look like if Andrew Thomas isn’t ready in time for the opener. He had a false start and a holding penalty, and was beaten around the edge for a pressure. Being matched up against Buffalo’s big offseason addition, Joey Bosa, didn’t help matters.
– First round rookie Abdul Carter made a brief appearance but was out there long enough to make an impression as he blew past pro bowl tackle Dion Dawkins to pressure Trubisky. He lined up inside on one play, giving an insight into how we might see Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux all in the game together in certain packages.
– Cornerback Deonte Banks needs a solid camp and preseason to hang onto his starting role, and he was one of the few starters to remain in the game when the Bills drove for their first half touchdown. Worryingly, this touchdown was the product of a coverage mix-up between Banks and linebacker Chris Board. While that might not have been Banks’ fault directly, it’s still a concern to see him involved in that. Banks also gave up a first down catch to Joshua Palmer but was in good position on one first quarter incompletion.
– Two offensive players on the bubble who helped their cause were running back Dante “Turbo” Miller and wide receiver Montrell Washington, each of whom helped boost Dart’s numbers with some good playmaking after the catch. Miller, who also had a good preseason last year, had over 100 yards from scrimmage and the journeyman Washington had three catches for 60 yards in the first half.
– One negative was a blown coverage by undrafted rookie safety Makari Paige, who let wide receiver Tyrell Shavers get behind him for a 58-yard gain in the closing seconds of the first half to set up a field goal. Fortunately, he made the touchdown saving tackle, but that was poor situational football from a player who is already a long-shot to make the roster. Hamler’s touchdown was also due a blown coverage, involving cornerback Nic Jones.
– Gano received a shot of confidence after some analysts had suggested the 38-year old could be a potential camp cut. He had three successful field goals of 50 or more yards in the first half, although one of these was banked off the upright.
– Finally, it’s worth noting some of the Giants players who did not play, including stars like Malik Nabers and Dexter Lawrence, and players who need a big preseason such as Jalin Hyatt and Evan Neal.
Highlights
Jaxson's FIRST‼️
📺: NBC4/NFL Network pic.twitter.com/6hRaaH4BXb
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 9, 2025
DART ON THE RUN 🔥
📺: NBC4/NFL Network pic.twitter.com/SWxKROlLgO
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 9, 2025
What's next
The Giants will hold joint practices against the New York Jets on Tuesday and Wednesday, ahead of the preseason matchup between the teams on Saturday evening.
