Dak Prescott faces a hostile MetLife Stadium before a high-stakes Rio showdown, as Dallas navigates a grueling slate featuring holiday rivalries and relentless prime-time spotlights.
Once again, the Dallas Cowboys will open up their season against the New York Giants, and in 2026, Brian Schottenheimer's team will travel to MetLife Stadium.
The Cowboys are 11-1 in season openers against the Giants, but this latest installment does have a different feel to it, and it's one that could, as odd as it sounds, be where Dallas lays down a marker early in the season.
We can hear you say, "Hey, it's only the Giants,'' but let us put it into perspective a little bit as we launch the 2026 Cowboys NFL Schedule Tracker.
Here's what we know so far ...
*It's Dallas at the New York Giants in Week 1.
This 7:20 p.m. CT game on Sunday, September 13, will be the eighth time in the last 15 seasons the Giants and the Cowboys will square off Week 1.
*Week 3 sends Dallas and Baltimore to Rio for an afternoon game (the game is set for a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff).
*Week 12 has the Eagles coming to AT&T Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. Thanksgiving showdown at 3:30 p.m.
The full opponents list ...
2026 Home Opponents (AT&T Stadium):
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Baltimore Ravens (in Rio, Week 3)
2026 Away Opponents:
- New York Giants (in New York, Week 1)
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Green Bay Packers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
Obviously, there is no shortage of elite talent the NFL could pit Dallas against in 2026, and yeah, there could be more than six big-stage on the schedule for Schottenheimer's Cowboys ... the "Kings of Prime Time.''
Now, back to Week 1.
The Giants will be at home in John Harbaugh's first game, juiced up, with Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo in the lineup again, plus Arvell Reese and potentially Malik Nabers.
Dallas could be walking into a buzzsaw.
So it could be a test straight out of the gate for Christian Parker's new-look defense to see how they curtail the Giants' offense, which has a vastly different feel from the one that had been a basket case for years.
With real NFL bullets flying, how will the Cowboys' defense, which gave up 37 and 34 points to the Giants last season, deal with everything thrown at them first up?
It is the unknown of Parker's defense that could make Cowboys Nation a little nervous.
On the other side of the ball, there is next to no worry about Dak Prescott and Co., at least right now.
Prescott had won 14 in a row against New York before Week 18 last season.
For whatever reason, Dak just torches the Giants, and with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Javonte Williams, and others, they won't have to deal with Dexter Lawrence, who is now a Bengal, as the Giants' defense has lost a big part of its fear factor.
While the Giants at MetLife might not seem like a "big game" considering the circumstances that New York will be coming into this clash with, there's every chance that this goes down to the wire.
But if the Cowboys can manage to secure a road win against a divisional opponent who will have all the momentum, that will surely send a message to the rest of the league.
Yes, we get it. It's "only" the Giants, but this is a team that scored 30+ points on you twice last season, and also beat you.
Take them down, and all of the good offseason momentum Dallas oddly has, will only grow.