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Players to watch in Week 18 vs. Cowboys

PLAYERS-TO-WATCH-WEEK-18

The calendar has flipped to 2026, but one game remains in the Giants' 2025 campaign.

Mike Kafka picked up his first victory as interim head coach last week as the Giants flew across the country and defeated the Raiders in Las Vegas, 34-10. The win snapped the team's nine-game losing streak and was the Giants' first victory away from MetLife Stadium since Week 5 of last season.

The Giants will look to close out the year on a winning streak when they go up against the Cowboys in East Rutherford on Sunday.

The Cowboys are coming off an extended break as they went to Washington on Christmas Day and beat the Commanders 30-23. They enter the final week of the season with a 7-8-1 record.

Here are players to watch in Sunday's season finale.

QB Jaxson Dart

Jaxson Dart rebounded nicely from his performance against the Vikings, as he completed over 73 percent of his passes for 207 yards while adding 48 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in last week's win over the Raiders. He earned a passer rating of 91.9, which marked his eighth game with a 90+ passer rating. Dart has now accounted for multiple touchdowns in nine of his 11 starts.

"Every time he takes the field, he's getting better in a certain area," offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said Thursday about the rookie quarterback. "He's done a great job as a rookie of not really exposing the football. Hopefully, we continue that on Sunday. But his demeanor, his instincts, his ability to see things is really unique. So being able to get to kind of know him a little bit better and work with him a little bit more, you're able to kind of see those things that you may not notice if you weren't working closely with him."

The 22-year-old has a great opportunity to finish his season strong this Sunday. The Cowboys have really struggled on defense this season as the unit ranks 32nd in passing yards and 31st in passing touchdowns allowed. While this will be Dart's first matchup against the Cowboys, he has had success against the other teams in the NFC East this season with two touchdowns in each of his three games against the Eagles (2x) and Commanders.

"Win is number one, and just to take advantage of the opportunity with the team that we have right now and the coaching staff that we have," the young QB said about his goals for Week 18. "The league, there's so much movement from year to year, so you never know what's going to happen, how it's going to shake. I have a ton of respect for the guys in this locker room, and I've been able to make great relationships with them. I just want to give it my all for them and to take advantage of the opportunity that we have."

See the top photos from practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 18 season finale against the Cowboys.

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. / WR Wan'Dale Robinson

I'm cheating a little by grouping both playmakers together, but given their recent play, it felt appropriate. Tyrone Tracy Jr. rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries last week, good for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. It marked his third consecutive outing with an average yards per carry of 4.4 or more, and his sixth of the season.

Tracy has done a great job of stepping up since Cam Skattebo was lost for the season. In 14 games (10 starts), the second-year running back has totaled 637 yards on the ground and an additional 232 yards through the air. Heading into the season finale, Tracy sits at 869 total yards of offense this season. While 131 yards on Sunday could be a tall task, it would get the young back to 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the second consecutive season to start his NFL career.

Wan'Dale Robinson is coming off yet another dominant performance, something we've grown accustomed to seeing this season. The fourth-year wideout matched his career-high with 11 receptions against the Raiders last week. He took those 11 catches for 113 yards, his third game with 100+ receiving yards this year. The strong game also brought Robinson over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.

In addition to setting a new career-high with his 1,014 receiving yards, Robinson has also set new high marks with his four receiving touchdowns and 11.0 yards per reception. With 92 receptions on the season, he needs just two more on Sunday to set a new personal best in that category, as well.

OT Marcus Mbow

Star left tackle Andrew Thomas was placed on injured reserve last Saturday, cutting his season two games short due to a hamstring injury. This paved the way for Marcus Mbow to start his second game of his rookie season, and his first at left tackle, this past weekend in Las Vegas. It was far from a perfect performance for the first-year tackle, but Mbow did some show encouraging sigs, especially in the run game. On Tracy's biggest run of the day, Mbow kicked outside and was out there leading the way for the running back on his 23-yard gain.

"Marcus did some good things," Kelly said about Mbow's performance against the Raiders. "There are times where he passed protected well, was solid in the run game. I think as always, when you watch the tape, you're going to have one or two plays that you're going to want to have back. Whether it's technical, finish, whatever it may be. But for the most part, I thought he did a good job. Always areas to improve and I think you could tell having the entire week to prepare and take those reps and really get ready to go start a game showed up and he played well enough for us to win."

One reason for Dallas' struggles on defense this season could be due to the pass rush. Through 16 games, the Cowboys have totaled just 31 sacks on the season, tied with the Patriots and Jaguars for 23rd in the league. Mbow is likely to see a combination of Donovan Ezeiruaku, Jadeveon Clowney, Osa Odighizuwa and DeMarvion Overshown on Sunday, with Clowney leading the way at 5.5 sacks.

OLB Abdul Carter

One of the biggest things you want to see out of a rookie is growth throughout the season, which is exactly what Abdul Carter has shown over the last month. Carter has contributed to a sack in four consecutive games since his first quarter benching against the Patriots in Week 13. This is the longest streak by a Giants rookie since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

After registering four quarterback hits against the Raiders, Carter now has 22 on the season, the most by a Giants rookie and tied for the seventh-most by any rookie since 2006. Perhaps more impressive than that is his ability to get after the quarterback in the blink of an eye. Carter has 44 quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds) this season, which not only is the most in the NFL this season but ranks as the 12th-most by any player in a season since 2019. After going an extended period of the season without having too big of an impact, Carter has heated up over the final stretch of his rookie campaign.

"Just, again, his desire to be great," defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen said about what he's seen from Carter in recent weeks. "He's committed to it and we've talked a lot about him committing to his process and making some tweaks and changes, which is great, and it's just been more of that. He's learned a lot in his rookie year and I think you can't always force the process as well. So, I think it's just been continued commitment by him off the field and then on the field, he's had some success. I think now, at this point, he's in a little bit of a groove and a rhythm and gaining confidence and so that's what you're seeing on the field, for sure."

DL Darius Alexander

Considering some of the big name players in his draft class, Darius Alexander is often overlooked among the Giants' rookies. The first-year defensive lineman picked up a sack in last week's win along with three total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. It marked his second game in the last five weeks with three pressures. Alexander has also picked up all three of his sacks during that same span, with his 3.5 sacks on the season ranking sixth among all rookies.

"He's just been working every week and focused on trying to get better and it's kind of coming together for him now at this point in the season," Bullen said about the rookie defensive lineman. "And that's what you're seeing. But he's stayed focused and steadfast and tried to get better and it's paying off now. Has it been perfect? It never is for anybody, but he's been working the whole time and I'm proud of him."

Heading into the final game of the season, the Cowboys are tied for the 10th-fewest sacks allowed at 31. However, Dallas' offensive line has seemed to have taken a bit of a step back in recent weeks. Dak Prescott was sacked a season-high six times in last week's win over the Commanders. This came after he was sacked five times against the Lions back in Week 14. Of the 31 sacks this season, 14 have come in the last four games alone. This bodes well for Alexander, Carter, Brian Burns and the rest of the Giants' pass rush this week.

View rare photos from the historic rivalry between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

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