Week 1 is often best known for its overreactions, but New York Giants fans had every reason to wake up on Monday feeling ecstatic about Francis Mauigoa.
We promise we’re not being generous when we claim Mauigoa was marvelous in Sunday’s upset victory over the rival Cowboys. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Mauigoa didn’t allow a pressure or quarterback hit in 36 pass-blocking snaps. He’s the first rookie since 2018 to play that many pass-blocking snaps without giving up a pressure in his NFL debut.
If you’re in the mood for more good news, The Dallas News’ Calvin Watkins shared that Mauigoa became the first player since 2023 to hold Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark without a pressure on 19 or more matchups.
Oh, and the 21-year-old Mauigoa made an offseason transition from right tackle to right guard after all but exclusively playing the former in college.
New York Giants rookie guard Francis Mauigoa dominated the Dallas Cowboys in his NFL debut
Mauigoa earned rave reviews throughout the summer and the preseason, so we’ll understand if some Giants fans shrugged and said Sunday’s performance didn’t surprise them. Good luck convincing us, though, that they truly expected how the No. 10 pick fared in his first game.
No one outside the Cowboys’ building likely sees them as Super Bowl contenders, especially not given Dak Prescott’s history of postseason meltdowns. But the Cowboys closed as three-point favorites (which seemed generous), and they’d won 16 of their past 18 matchups in the decades-old rivalry. For all of his flaws, Prescott entered play having thrown 31 touchdowns against only nine interceptions in 17 career games against the Giants.
Outside of Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s fumble, the Giants were near flawless on offense. Jaxson Dart went 23-of-29 for 230 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and only took two sacks. New York’s rushing game averaged 4.5 yards per carry, with Cam Skattebo (81) and Jaxson Dart (54) both clearing 50 rushing yards.
We spent much of the buildup to Week 1 talking about first impressions, and what a statement Mauigoa sent on Sunday night. He immediately demonstrated how well he fits into Matt Nagy’s offense, and he clearly felt comfortable blocking opposing NFL linemen.
Mauigoa and the Giants got some good news hours before kickoff, learning the Rams are placing All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett on injured reserve with a knee injury. With how sharp their offense looked against the Cowboys, maybe Harbaugh’s club can take down the Rams and start 2-0 for the first time since 2022.
From there, the Giants host the Titans and Cardinals before hitting the road to battle the Commanders in Week 5. Suddenly, things just got far more interesting.
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