That didn’t go well. The Dallas Cowboys thought they would start off their 2026 campaign with a win over the New York Giants, like usual. Turns out, this was not the same Giants football club they were used to.
The Giants wore the Cowboys out with a strong running game and Jaxson Dart’s accurate passing. Dallas failed to provide real discomfort for Dart as their defense was not at all as advertised. The offense was uncharacteristically off in the game, with Dak Prescott and George Pickens having big
mistakes.
Dallas also resorted to their bad habits and kept making penalties, including a DeMarvion Overshown personal foul and a taunting call on Javonte Williams. These kind of mistakes are the easiest to avoid, yet the Cowboys made them.
We’ve boiled down what went wrong into four choices.
- Christian Parker’s defense – they simply were abused by the Giants with limited pass rush, busted coverages and little pressure on Dart.
- Undisciplined play and penalties – the Cowboys were sloppy with their assignments, seemed to lack effort at times and made some really stupid penalties.
- Dak Prescott, George Pickens mistakes – the Cowboys had a chance to take control of the game, but a couple of their stars made some really bad plays.
- Brian Schottenheimer failure – in the end it didn’t feel like the team was ready to play, and that falls on the head coach. Schottenheimer also punted on 4th and inches.
So vote in the poll and hit the comments to let us know your thoughts.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cowboys fans and fans across the country.
