Giants Preseason Finale: Jaxson Dart’s Touchdown Pushes New York Past Patriots in Exhibition Opener

East Rutherford, N.J. – In their final dress rehearsal before the season, the New York Giants took an early lead. With solid defense, they secured a tight preseason win over the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.

In the opening quarter, there was one touchdown. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart powered a 5-play, 65-yard drive to get it. Dart found tight end Greg Dulcich on a 7-yard strike with 12:59 remaining, capping off New York’s decisive march. The Giants’ defense shut down every New England drive. They maintained their 7–0 lead into the second quarter.

On offense, the Patriots’ backups, led by Ben Wooldridge and Joshua Dobbs, faltered. They failed to build consistent drives against a fired-up Giants defense. New England ended the first quarter with only four passing yards and no rushing attempts. Meanwhile, the Giants racked up 75 passing yards and 12 rushing yards.

With cuts coming next week, both teams relied on backups looking for roster spots. The Giants’ coaches praised Dart’s calmness in his last preseason game. Meanwhile, New England’s staff saw missed chances on offense but highlighted some strong plays from the offensive line.

Key Notes

Dart completed 5 of 9 passes for 75 yards and his first preseason touchdown.
Dulcich led all receivers with 50 yards and the lone TD reception.
Patriots’ top preseason rushers and passers were held scoreless by New York’s defense.

The result will be a key data point for both teams. Evaluators will use it to finalize their rosters to 53 players before next Tuesday’s deadline. The Giants will host Washington in Week 1 on September 7. At the same time, the Patriots will travel to Miami.