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Jaxson Dart and the Giants will host the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 1.

The New York Giants finally feel like they’re moving in a direction that actually makes sense. After years of feeling stuck somewhere in the middle, the franchise handed the keys to John Harbaugh back in January, and the shift already feels noticeable around the organization. For the first time in a while, the Giants seem to have a real identity again. They are widely considered to be one of the most dangerous sleeper teams in the entire NFL heading into the 2026 season.

The Harbaugh Effect

Harbaugh hasn’t wasted much time bringing his blueprint to East Rutherford either. He quickly started building out the coaching staff with familiar faces, including Chris Horton coming over as Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator. And the messaging to the roster has been pretty clear from the start. They want to become a difficult team to play against every single week.

You can already see it in the roster decisions too. Adding veteran fullback Patrick Ricard and tight end Isaiah Likely, who Harbaugh coached in Baltimore, says a lot about the direction they’re trying to go. The Giants want to run the football, control games, and win at the line of scrimmage again. It’s a pretty dramatic shift from some of the inconsistent and finesse-heavy football they’ve played over the last few years.

This feels like an attempt to bring back that old-school Giants identity. The kind of team that drags games into the trenches and forces opponents to deal with it for four quarters.

Roster Reinforcements

Of course, the biggest part of this season still comes down to second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. There were definitely flashes during his rookie year. He finished with 2,272 passing yards and a 15-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio across 14 games, while also showing how dangerous he can be outside the pocket with nearly 500 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

The encouraging part for New York is that the roster around him finally looks more stable. The front office spent a lot of time addressing the offensive line this offseason because that unit has felt like a revolving door for years. If Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo can stay healthy after both dealing with injuries during the 2025 season, there’s a lot of talent on this offence. Pair that with Harbaugh’s style and Matt Nagy stepping in as offensive coordinator, and you can at least understand why people believe Dart could take a pretty significant step this year.

Playoff Expectations

The expectations are definitely starting to rise around this team, and honestly, probably for good reason. The schedule is more manageable than it was a year ago, and sportsbooks have already adjusted. FanDuel currently has the Giants’ over/under sitting at 7.5 wins after they entered last season projected closer to 5.5.

That doesn’t automatically mean the playoffs are guaranteed because the NFC East is still difficult, especially with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys sitting there. Games against teams like the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers won’t exactly make life easier either.

Still, the Giants finally look like a team with an actual plan. They have a proven head coach, a young quarterback with upside, and a roster that seems built to match the style Harbaugh wants to play. After a few years of constantly feeling stuck in neutral, New York at least feels relevant again. And right now, that’s probably the biggest change of all.