dallas cowboys vs new york giants match player stats

Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants Match Player Stats: Brandon Aubrey’s Overtime Kick Seals a 40-37 Classic

Two rebuilt rosters, two gunslinging quarterbacks, and a scoreboard that would not sit still — that’s what fans got when Dallas hosted New York in Week 2. If you’re searching for a full Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants match player stats breakdown, this one has everything: 811 combined yards, five lead changes, and a kicker who nearly broke an NFL record. Here’s every number that mattered.

The Lead

The Dallas Cowboys edged the New York Giants 40-37 in overtime on September 14, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in front of 92,781 fans. It was a Week 2 NFC East showdown that neither defense could control, with both offenses trading big plays deep into the fourth quarter before Brandon Aubrey’s 46-yard field goal in overtime finally ended it.

New York built an early cushion behind two Graham Gano field goals, and Dallas spent the rest of the afternoon chasing the game. Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott combined for over 800 passing yards and five touchdown throws, and the two clubs traded scores on six of the final seven possessions of regulation. Dallas forced overtime on a 64-yard Aubrey field goal as time expired, then won the coin toss and closed it out on the opening drive of the extra period.

Match Overview

InformationMatch Details
EventNFL Regular Season, Week 2
GameNew York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys
DateSeptember 14, 2025
VenueAT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Attendance92,781
WinnerDallas Cowboys
Final Score40-37 (OT)
BroadcastNational Sunday NFL broadcast window

Core Match Statistics Overview

This Cowboys vs Giants stats comparison shows a game that was closer on the scoreboard than it was on the stat sheet. Dallas out-gained the possession battle and controlled the clock, while New York’s offense was far more efficient with fewer opportunities.

Team MetricNew York GiantsDallas Cowboys
First Downs2232
Total Net Yards506478
Net Passing Yards422343
Net Rushing Yards84135
Total Plays6583
Yards Per Play7.85.8
Third-Down Conversions6-14 (42%)6-14 (42%)
Fourth-Down Conversions1-2 (50%)1-1 (100%)
Penalties-Yards14-16012-106
Time of Possession32:3937:21
Turnovers11

Passing Efficiency

  • Russell Wilson posted a blistering 11.0 yards per attempt on 41 throws, nearly double Dak Prescott’s 6.9 average on a heavier 52-attempt workload.
  • Wilson’s 123.0 passer rating was the best mark either quarterback has produced in a Giants-Cowboys matchup in recent seasons, built on chunk plays rather than volume.

Ground Game and Clock Control

  • Dallas ran the ball 28 times for 135 yards and controlled the clock for over 37 minutes, a full possession-time advantage that let the Cowboys stay patient even while trailing.
  • New York’s rushing attack managed only 84 yards on 21 carries, forcing the Giants to lean almost entirely on Wilson’s arm to move the chains.

Penalty Discipline

  • New York was flagged 14 times for 160 yards, a total that repeatedly stalled promising drives and gave Dallas short fields.
  • Dallas played a comparatively cleaner game at 12 penalties for 106 yards, though its own discipline issues still cost the offense a handful of scoring chances.

Third-Down and Red-Zone Execution

  • Both teams converted at an identical 42% clip on third down, a rare statistical tie that shows neither defense held a clear structural edge.
  • Dallas was perfect on fourth down (1-for-1) in a critical short-yardage moment, while New York converted just once on two attempts.

Period-by-Period Analysis

First Quarter

TeamQ1
Giants6
Cowboys0
  • Graham Gano opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal, then added a 33-yarder before the quarter ended, giving New York an early 6-0 cushion.
  • Dallas’s offense could not find a rhythm in the opening 15 minutes, managing zero points despite the crowd’s energy.
  • The Giants defense set an early tone, limiting the Cowboys’ first-quarter drives before they could threaten the red zone.

Second Quarter

TeamQ2
Giants7
Cowboys10
  • Dallas got on the board with a 51-yard Aubrey field goal, then Malik Nabers answered right back with a 29-yard touchdown catch from Wilson to push New York’s lead to 13-3.
  • Prescott found KaVontae Turpin for a 10-yard score to cut the deficit before halftime, showing the first signs of the Cowboys’ passing attack heating up.
  • Dallas outscored New York 10-7 in the quarter, trimming what had been a double-digit gap down to three points at the break.

Third Quarter

TeamQ3
Giants3
Cowboys7
  • Javonte Williams broke off a 30-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, giving Dallas its first lead of the game at 17-13.
  • Gano’s third field goal of the day, a 33-yarder, briefly tied the field-goal battle but left New York still trailing by one.
  • Dallas’s rushing attack found its footing in this stretch, a shift that helped the Cowboys eat clock and dictate tempo.

Fourth Quarter and Overtime

TeamQ4OT
Giants210
Cowboys203
  • The fourth quarter alone produced 41 combined points across six scoring drives, capped by Nabers’ second touchdown catch of the day and Aubrey’s 64-yard field goal to force overtime.
  • Miles Sanders and Cam Skattebo traded short rushing touchdowns for their respective teams as both offenses refused to let the other pull away.
  • In overtime, Dallas won the toss, drove into range, and let Aubrey close it out with a 46-yard field goal for the 40-37 final.

Dallas Cowboys Player Statistics

Dak Prescott (QB): 38-of-52 for 361 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, adding 17 rushing yards. Prescott absorbed three sacks but kept extending drives with his legs, and his fourth-quarter touchdown throw to George Pickens kept Dallas within striking distance late.

CeeDee Lamb (WR): 9 receptions for 112 yards on 11 targets, his fourth straight 100-yard game dating back to last season. Lamb didn’t find the end zone, but his contested catches in the fourth quarter moved the chains on two of Dallas’s most important possessions.

Javonte Williams (RB): 18 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, plus 6 catches for 33 yards. Williams was the engine of Dallas’s ball-control approach, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and providing the 37-plus minutes of possession time that wore down New York’s front seven.

Brandon Aubrey (K): 4-of-4 on field goals, including makes from 51, 44, and 64 yards before the game-winning 46-yarder in overtime, plus 4-of-4 on extra points for 16 total points. Aubrey’s 64-yard attempt at the end of regulation was one yard shy of the NFL record.

New York Giants Player Statistics

Russell Wilson (QB): 30-of-41 for 450 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, the second-most passing yards of his 14-year career. Wilson’s efficiency and big-play ability kept New York ahead on the scoreboard for most of the afternoon despite Dallas’s yardage and time-of-possession edge.

Malik Nabers (WR): 9 catches for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 targets, including a 48-yard score late in the fourth quarter. Nabers was the single most explosive weapon on the field, averaging over 18 yards per catch.

Wan’Dale Robinson (WR): 8 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown, including a 50-yard gain that set up a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. Robinson gave Wilson a reliable second option whenever Nabers drew extra coverage.

Cam Skattebo (RB): 11 carries for 45 yards and a rushing touchdown, plus 2 catches for 14 yards. Skattebo’s short-yardage touchdown run in the fourth quarter briefly put the Giants back in front, 23-20.

Statistical Leaders Summary

CategoryNew York GiantsDallas Cowboys
Leading PasserRussell Wilson (450 yds, 3 TD)Dak Prescott (361 yds, 2 TD)
Leading RusherCam Skattebo (45 yds, 1 TD)Javonte Williams (97 yds, 1 TD)
Leading ReceiverMalik Nabers (167 yds, 2 TD)CeeDee Lamb (112 yds)
Tackles LeaderPaulson Adebo (13 total)Kaiir Elam (9 total)

Why Dallas Won

Time-of-Possession Advantage

Dallas held the ball for 37:21 compared to New York’s 32:39, a gap driven almost entirely by the Cowboys’ 83 offensive plays against the Giants’ 65. That extra volume of snaps gave Dallas more scoring chances even while trailing on efficiency.

MetricDallasNew York
Total Plays8365
Time of Possession37:2132:39
Rushing Yards13584

Special Teams Reliability

Brandon Aubrey went a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals, including two makes of 50-plus yards, and delivered the eventual game-winner. That kind of clean kicking performance is often the deciding factor in a game decided by three points.

Fourth-Down Aggression

Dallas converted its only fourth-down attempt of the game, while New York went just 1-for-2. In a contest this tight, that single conversion kept a Cowboys scoring drive alive that otherwise would have ended empty.

Why New York Lost

Penalty Trouble Stalled Drives

New York’s 14 penalties for 160 yards repeatedly pushed the offense into longer down-and-distance situations and handed Dallas extra opportunities. That penalty gap, 160 yards to 106, was nearly as large as the final rushing-yardage gap between the two teams.

Thin Ground Game Left Wilson Overexposed

The Giants rushed for only 84 yards on 21 carries, well below Dallas’s 135-yard output on a similar number of attempts. With almost no rushing threat to lean on, New York’s offense became one-dimensional, and Wilson had to carry the game through the air for all four quarters.

Historical Context and Advanced Insights

Season Series Snapshot

MeetingWinnerScore
Week 2, September 14, 2025Dallas Cowboys40-37 (OT)
Week 18, January 4, 2026New York Giants34-17

The two meetings split the 2025 season series, with each team winning on its own turf. New York’s Week 18 victory closed out a Cowboys campaign that never found the consistency it showed in this early-season shootout.

Efficiency Beyond the Box Score

Russell Wilson’s 11.0 yards-per-attempt figure was nearly 60% higher than Prescott’s 6.9 average, yet Dallas still won the game. That gap illustrates why total-yardage and time-of-possession numbers can matter as much as raw passing efficiency in a high-scoring shootout — Dallas simply generated more possessions and more chances to score, even if each individual Prescott dropback was less explosive than Wilson’s.

Game Implications and Key Lessons

What This Means for Dallas:

  • The overtime win showed the offense could win a track meet against a divisional opponent, a confidence boost heading into a tougher non-division slate.
  • Javonte Williams’ breakout rushing performance gave the Cowboys a legitimate complementary weapon alongside Prescott and Lamb.

What This Means for New York:

  • The Giants’ inability to run the ball consistently put too much pressure on Wilson, a pattern that would need correcting to sustain drives against stronger defenses.
  • Penalty discipline emerged as an immediate coaching point after 160 yards in flags in a game decided by a field goal.

Key Lessons from the Game:

  • Time of possession and offensive-play volume can outweigh a raw yards-per-attempt advantage.
  • Special teams reliability, especially in field-goal range, decides close divisional games.
  • Penalty discipline directly translates into scoring opportunities for the opponent.
  • A dominant receiver day, like Nabers’ 167 yards and two scores, doesn’t guarantee a win without complementary rushing support.
  • Fourth-down aggression pays off when it’s paired with a strong short-yardage rushing attack.
  • Overtime coin-toss wins remain a meaningful edge under the NFL’s current format.

FAQs

Who won the Cowboys vs Giants game?

At AT&T Stadium on September 14, 2025, the Dallas Cowboys prevailed 40-37 in overtime.

Who had the most passing yards at the end of the game?

Russell Wilson led all passers with 450 yards on 30-of-41 completions and 3 touchdowns for the Giants.

What were Dak Prescott’s stats in the game?

Prescott finished 38-of-52 passing for 361 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, adding 17 rushing yards.

Who scored the game-winning points?

Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey booted a 46-yard field goal in overtime for the final margin.

How many touchdowns did Malik Nabers have?

Nabers caught 2 touchdowns among his 9 receptions for 167 yards on 13 targets.

Did CeeDee Lamb score a touchdown?

No, Lamb was held out of the end zone but still totaled 9 catches for 112 yards, his fourth consecutive 100-yard game.

Conclusion

This Cowboys-Giants shootout came down to possessions and precision rather than any single statistical category. New York’s passing offense was more efficient play-for-play, but Dallas turned extra snaps, a controlled ground game, and perfect kicking into a 40-37 overtime win. The side that prevails in the unseen battles—penalties, time of possession, and short-yardage situations—usually wins when the box score is this close.

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