Instant Reactions: Cowboys fall to Giants in season finale

The Dallas Cowboys fell to the New York Giants 34-17 in Week 18.

Dallas closes the 2025 regular season with a 7-9-1 record, marking its first consecutive losing seasons since 2000-2002.

Up next is the 2026 offseason.

Instant Reactions

Ali Jawad

Dallas rolled out the starters hoping to at least leave Week 18 with the hollow comfort of saying, “We finished 8-8-1.”

Instead, they did the exact opposite, as they fell 34-17, to finish 7-9-1.

The defense made sure everyone got one last reminder of just how broken things are, letting backup wideout Gunner Olszewski rip them for a career-high 103 receiving yards while the run defense allowed 150+ yards.

Tight End Daniel Bellinger’s 29-yard score in the second quarter summed it all up.

Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. finished with over 100 yards rushing for the first time this season.

The only consistent resistance came from Jadeveon Clowney, who played like he was trying to drag the whole unit across the finish line, four tackles for loss, three QB hits, a pass breakup, a fumble recovery, and a career-high three sacks.

Offensively, Dak Prescott played the first half and managed just 70 passing yards before Joe Milton took over after halftime and finished with 73 yards and an interception.

The few bright spots were from the kids: rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah scored their first NFL touchdowns.

When it was over, Dallas had lost to the Giants for the first time since 2020, and with Prescott starting, it marked his first loss to New York since his rookie season in 2016.

New York won back-to-back for the first time since 2023.

To cap it off, this is the first time in franchise history that the Cowboys defense has allowed 500 points in a season.

Clarence Hill

It seems fitting that a dismal 2025 season ended in abject disappointment with a 34-17 loss to the New York Giants.

The Cowboys came into the game looking to extend their two-game win streak, finish 8-8-1, and allegedly build momentum for the offseason.

In the end, the Cowboys finished 7-9-1, marking their second straight losing season for the first time since going 5-11, 5-11, and 5-11 under Dave Campo in the early 2000s.

It was all performative talk at the end of a lost season, when the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs with three games to go. It had already set a team record for points allowed in a season before even suiting up against the Giants.

Sure, rookie running back Jaydon Blue gave the Cowboys an early spark, showing burst and speed with a 27-yard run and a 14-yard touchdown run.

But the defense, outside of veteran defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who had a career-high three sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, continued to give up yards and big plays by the bushel as it has all season.

The Giants (4-13) had a 96-yard touchdown drive at the end of the second quarter. It was their longest drive of the season. A 29-yard catch capped it and run for a score on 3rd and 16 with 20 seconds left. 

Tight end Daniel Bellinger broke several tackles for his first touchdown of the season against the suspect Cowboys defense.

The Giants ran all over the Cowboys with over 150 yards on the ground.

The Giants’ two highest scoring games of the season came against the Cowboys. They lost 40-37 in overtime in the first meeting, the 34 points on Sunday tied for the second most. 

It was the ninth time the Cowboys allowed at least 30 points in a game. The Cowboys had already set a new franchise record for points allowed in a season.