Cowboys Open 2026 With Playoff Pressure Against Giants

The Dallas Cowboys open the 2026 NFL season against the New York Giants on Sunday night with considerably more at stake than simply starting 1-0.

Dallas finished 7-9-1 last season and has missed the playoffs in consecutive years. Now Dak Prescott and a retooled Cowboys roster enter the season believing January football should be the expectation again.

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Prescott is coming off one of his strongest statistical seasons. He completed an NFL-high 404 passes in 2025 while throwing for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Dallas also returns one of football’s premier receivers in CeeDee Lamb and pairs him with George Pickens, giving Prescott a potentially dangerous combination on the outside.

Running back Javonte Williams adds another dimension after producing 1,338 yards from scrimmage and 11 rushing touchdowns last season.

The concern Sunday night will be keeping Prescott clean.

Starting left guard Tyler Smith is on injured reserve following thumb surgery and will miss at least four games. T.J. Bass is expected to step into Smith’s spot against a Giants defense capable of creating serious problems up front.

Brian Burns recorded a career-high 16.5 sacks in 2025, while New York also has Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux available to pressure Prescott.

Dallas has plenty of new defensive firepower of its own.

Rookie safety Caleb Downs joins a group that also added veteran pass rushers Rashan Gary and Von Miller. Miller enters the season with 138.5 career sacks, the most among active NFL players.

They’ll get an immediate test against second-year Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Dart accounted for 24 touchdowns as a rookie, including nine on the ground, and now begins his first full season as New York’s starter under new head coach John Harbaugh.

The Giants could also have considerably more offensive help around him. Cam Skattebo is expected back after a broken fibula ended his rookie season, while Odell Beckham Jr. has returned to New York.

The biggest question is Malik Nabers.

The explosive receiver is working his way back from a torn ACL and enters the opener questionable despite practicing during the week.

Dallas has dominated this rivalry historically, holding a 78-48-2 series advantage, but New York won the most recent meeting 34-17 in January.

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For the Cowboys, that makes Sunday night more than a season opener.

It’s their first opportunity to prove that all the playoff talk surrounding Dallas this offseason has some substance behind it.

WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (0-0) at New York Giants (0-0)

WHERE: MetLife Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ

WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 | 7:20 p.m. CT

RADIO: KRLD-FM 105.3 | Brad Sham, Babe Laufenberg, Kristy Scales

TV: NBC

BETTING ODDS via DRAFTKINGS

SPREAD: DAL -3

TOTAL: 48.5

MONEYLINE: DAL -162 | NYG +136