Head coach John Harbaugh emphasized during the week that in-game reps are important, and we did, indeed, see brief appearances from most of the Giants' key players on either side of the ball in Saturday's preseason opener against Minnesota. It remains to be seen how useful those early game possessions were, as New York led 7-3 when most of their starters left the game but ultimately lost 13-10.
The Vikings also used their starters sparingly, but their offense -- with freshly announced starter Kyler Murray at the helm -- drove down into the red zone on their only possession. The drive stalled there, forcing them to settle for a Will Reichard 35-yard field goal.
New York's first drive saw Jaxson Dart connect with Isaiah Likely on third down but then the Giants had to punt after the debuting Francis Mauigoa got badly beaten leading to a third down sack.
The Giants' first unit then managed to force a 3-and-out, albeit against Minnesota's backups. This time, their next drive, again featuring a third-down conversion for Likely, got them into Vikings territory as the first quarter was running out. On the final play of the period, Dart was sacked and ended up in the medical tent as he was evaluated for a head injury.
Jameis Winston replaced Dart at the start of the second quarter and got the Giants into scoring range when he checked it down to Devin Singletary, who took it downfield for a gain of 40 into the red zone. Dart then returned and hit rookie Malachi Fields on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give New York a 7-3 lead.
Both offenses cooled off in the second quarter but Winston led New York into field goal range on a two-minute drill with Ben Sauls extending the lead to 10-3 at the half from 46 yards.
Minnesota cut the deficit to 10-6 midway through the third quarter on another field goal and then Giants third-stringer Brandon Allen threw an interception on the first play of the ensuing drive to set up Carson Wentz's go-ahead one-yard touchdown pass to Myles Price.
Allen continued to struggle throughout the second half and the Vikings were able to hold on as the fourth quarter was scoreless.
Here are the takeaways...
-- While most starters played as advertised, there were still a few notable absences. Unsurprisingly, wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is still on the way back from last year's serious knee injury, did not dress. Neither did Brian Burns and Andrew Thomas.
-- One absentee due to injury was John Michael Schmitz. Bryan Hudson filled in for him at center but this isn't exactly ideal for Mauigoa in terms of seeing his first NFL action at a new position and trying to develop chemistry with his linemates.
-- On defense, the much-anticipated cornerback competition was also affected by injuries as Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II -- two of the favorites to start -- did not play. It was a good opportunity for two high draft picks at very different stages in their development: Deonte Banks and rookie Colton Hood. However, Banks had a couple of second quarter penalties and Hood gave up a downfield catch.
-- The Giants' run defense showed signs of weakness on the first drive, as Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones combined to rack up 44 yards on six carries. While New York was without Burns and Tremaine Edmunds, it could end up being Dexter Lawrence they miss the most in this area. Rookie Arvell Reese was caught out of position a few times, but did get in on one stop near the line.
-- The game started to become sloppy in the second quarter, as both teams lost momentum on offense. At one stage, a flag was thrown on four out of five plays.
-- Dart finished up 3-for-4 for 26 yards and a touchdown, but it goes without saying that he still needs to do a better job of protecting himself. On the play where he took a big hit, he didn't get much help from Tyrone Tracy in blitz pick-up, though. With Singletary's big play and Cam Skattebo (19 yards on four carries) looking sharp in his return from injury, that kind of mistake could keep Tracy out of the main rotation.
-- It was a little surreal to see Odell Beckham Jr. back in a Giants uniform, but he got involved with two catches albeit for just six yards. If he makes the team this could be the feel-good story of the summer.
Game MVP: Jameis Winston
Winston was an efficient 8-for-9 for 89 yards, setting up both Giants scores in the first half. He projects as one of the better backups in the league, which provides some comfort given Dart's inability to keep himself upright.
Highlights
Cam Skattebo moves the chains pic.twitter.com/QCwlC3AeEv
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) August 15, 2026
A big run for Devin Singletary! pic.twitter.com/fLxZsn2yJI
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) August 15, 2026
6 + 0 = 6
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) August 15, 2026
Jaxson Dart ➡️ Malachi Fields for the touchdown! pic.twitter.com/siBIlNxdHm
Jameis ➡️ Odell pic.twitter.com/9TtE2z50L3
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) August 15, 2026
What's next
New York heads back to the practice field and then is in action again next Saturday afternoon, as they travel to Miami to face the Dolphins. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Aug. 22.