The year was 2009.
The New York Jets beat the Houston Texans 24-7 in Week 1. The New York Giants topped Washington 23-17. Both squads started the year 1-0.
That marked the last time both New York franchises opened the season with a victory—until Sunday. The Jets held their own on the road with a 23-10 win over Tennessee, while the Giants dominated division rival Dallas 28-20.
Running back Breece Hall set the tone for the Jets, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown. The Jets established control on its opening drive when quarterback Geno Smith hooked up with rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on a 30-yard pass into Titans territory. Smith, originally drafted by the Jets in 2013 before returning to New York after bouncing around the league, later capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq on an end-around run.
From there, The Jets’ defense locked down Tennessee. New York held Titans quarterback Cam Ward to 140 passing yards, yielding Tennessee’s lone touchdown during garbage time on an 11-yard score.
While it is only Week 1 against a struggling Titans team, Jets fans have plenty of reason for optimism. New York now turns its focus to Week 2, hosting a Green Bay team that has lost six games in a row dating back to last season and is coming off another brutal loss to Minnesota.
Over at MetLife Stadium, the Giants shed their recent primetime struggles and blew open the game against the Cowboys. Although the 28-20 final score suggests a tighter game, the game felt far more one-sided. Each of Dallas’ three touchdown drives relied heavily on pass interference penalties against the Giants, including four calls on cornerback Dru Phillips.
The Giants started fast, forcing a three-and-out on Dallas’ opening possession before marching down the field. Highlighted by a 22-yard scramble from Jaxson Dart—which drew a 15-yard late hit penalty on DeMarvion Overshown—the drive set up Cam Skattebo for a 3-yard untouched touchdown run, marking the Giants’ first Week 1 touchdown since 2022.
After an exchange of punts, Dallas answered in the second quarter. Aided by two pass interference penalties, Dak Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb to tie the game at 7-7.
The Giants responded with a late first-half drive, but a Tyrone Tracy fumble inside the red zone threatened to shift momentum. However, Jevon Holland intercepted a deep pass from Prescott with under a minute remaining, giving Big Blue another chance. Dart capitalized, finding free-agent acquisition Isaiah Likely wide open in the back corner of the end zone to secure a 14-7 halftime lead.
The Giants opened the second half with an eight-minute drive, capped by Likely’s second touchdown catch of the game. Dallas responded with a score on its next possession, but Devin Singletary pushed the Giants’ lead back to 28-14 with a touchdown run with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys answered quickly, as Javonte Williams scored on an 18-yard run to cut the deficit to 28-20. However, a taunting penalty on Williams pushed the extra-point attempt back 15 yards. Brandon Aubrey missed the 48-yard try wide right, keeping it an 8-point game.
The Giants chewed out the remaining clock to seal the 1-0 start. Now, they head to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Monday Night Football.