Jaxson Dart and John Harbaugh shut up the doubters in the Giants' opening night statement
New York's second-year quarterback threw three touchdowns and ran for 54 yards as the Giants beat Dallas 28-20 on Sunday Night Football, giving John Harbaugh a winning debut and raising real questions about the Cowboys' season before it truly begins.
In brief
Jaxson Dart and John Harbaugh shut up the doubters in the Giants' opening night statement
One game in, and the New York Giants already look like a different organization.
Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, the Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 in the first Sunday Night Football game of the 2026 NFL season, and they did it with a composure that wasn't there a year ago. It was the first win under new head coach John Harbaugh, with Dallas coming in as a favorite but never actually leading after New York drove for a touchdown on its opening possession.
Against a marquee divisional rival with the world watching, quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 23 of 29 passes. He also ran for 54 yards while showing full command of the offense, a level of control Giants fans haven't seen at that position since Eli Manning's final productive years. This was Dart's first full season as starter, and the preseason skeptics had plenty of ammunition: a rough rookie stretch, an entirely new coaching staff, a new offensive coordinator in Matt Nagy.
None of it showed on Sunday night.
Dart connected with tight end Isaiah Likely for two touchdowns and hit Devin Singletary on another, while Cam Skattebo ran for one in his first game back from injury. Likely made eight catches on eight targets for 78 yards in his New York debut after following Harbaugh from Baltimore, extending the training camp trend when he was consistently Dart's top option. That connection was built in Baltimore, carried to Jersey, and it showed immediately.
Malik Nabers, playing for the first time since going down with a torn ACL in his right knee 350 days ago, had six catches for 69 yards. That he was out there at all was its own story. That he contributed that much on opening night is the kind of subplot that changes how a receiver room is perceived league-wide.
Skattebo rumbled for 81 yards on 18 carries, getting back on the field more than 10 months after breaking his right fibula and dislocating his right ankle. He brought back his signature backflip celebration after scoring the Giants' first points of the season.
After the win, Dart said the performance was a result of putting everything Harbaugh has been preaching into action, keeping the answer short and direct. Harbaugh himself had a moment that went beyond football: the Giants honored 9/11 victims 25 years later in a pregame ceremony, and Harbaugh wore an NYPD hat for the first half, then switched to an FDNY cap for the second.
The Cowboys' side of this is genuinely worrying
Dallas entered as the home crowd's villain and left looking exposed. Dak Prescott was once again outplayed under the lights, throwing for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 22 of 34 completions. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were kept in check by an energetic New York defense.
This is Prescott's ninth season. Brian Schottenheimer is in his second year as Dallas' head coach, and there wasn't much reason for optimism after Week 1. The offensive line didn't create consistent movement. The defense gave up 28 points to a young offense that, entering the night, no one knew quite how to calibrate. It could be another long season for Dallas, with the defense possibly declining again.
The Cowboys also absorbed some injury news mid-game: safety Malik Hooker hurt a forearm making a tackle on the final play of the third quarter, and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown left with a hamstring injury early in the fourth.
What the rest of Sunday's Week 1 slate told us
The Giants-Cowboys game was the night's marquee attraction, but the full Sunday slate had its own fireworks. A track meet broke out at Bank of America Stadium between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers: 96 points scored, including 55 in the first half, as Chicago pulled away for a 59-37 win, the highest-scoring Week 1 game ever. It was the first game of head coach Ben Johnson's second season, and quarterback Caleb Williams looked more confident than ever before.
In Pittsburgh, the Steelers started their 2026 season by dominating the Atlanta Falcons, 20-13. T.J. Watt recorded two sacks, three tackles for loss, and a pick-six to begin his 2026 season, reminding the league that he should always be treated as a Defensive Player of the Year favorite when healthy.
In Buffalo, Josh Allen made one of the best defenses in the NFL look like one of the worst. The Bills defeated the Houston Texans 36-31, with Allen totaling 324 passing yards and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing).
And in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson stumbled out of the gates with an interception on the opening drive and a fumble on the third, ending up with 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 34-10 loss to Jacksonville. It was 24-0 at halftime, as Trevor Lawrence went 18 of 23 for 245 yards and four touchdowns before taking a seat midway through the fourth quarter.
It's the first time the Giants opened a season with a win since 2022, which was the last time they reached the playoffs. That detail will sit with Harbaugh's staff all week as they prepare for a Monday night trip to Los Angeles in Week 2.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
