Football is back. It’s always good to say that, and very few things match the excitement of kicking things off on Sunday Night Football. The Dallas Cowboys started off the 2026 season by traveling to Jersey to play the New York Giants. Usually, a Week 1 date with the Giants has meant a good start for the Cowboys.
But not this time. The Giants brought more of the fight and came away with a 28-20 victory. Cue the sad music. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ Sunday night defeat.
1. Terrible start to the game
The new season couldn’t
have started any worse. The offense went three-and-out on their opening drive, including a scaredy-cat decision not to QB-sneak it when they came up inches short after the third-down catch from George Pickens. Then, the defense let the Giants offense waltz down the field on their opening drive, allowing 6.3 yards per play, and ending it with a touchdown. The defense also committed two quick penalties, including a bonehead late hit out of bounds by DeMarvion Overshown. Just like that, it was 7-0 Giants. The Cowboys looked unprepared.
2. Pass Interference
After punting on their first two drives, the Cowboys finally got on the board with six minutes left in the first half, but it wasn’t easy. They put together a 10-play, 85-yard drive to tie the game up 7-7, but they got some help on third down. Twice the Giants’ defense was called for pass interference, once against Pickens and once against Jake Ferguson. Both plays were obvious calls and helped keep the drive going, setting up the Cowboys’ first score of the new season.
3. Lucky Skattabounces
The Cowboys’ defense came out aggressive and hitting hard. Four times in this game, the Cowboys forced a fumble, but only once did they come away with the ball. Donovan Ezeiruaku stripped Isaiah Likely, and Caleb Downs knocked the ball out of Jaxson Dart’s hands, but both times a Giants offensive lineman was in the right place at the right time. In the second half, Giants’ running back Cam Skatteboo lost control of the ball, but it bounced right back into his arms. The only takeaway the Cowboys got was when Quinnen Williams punched the ball away from Tyrone Tracy Jr., and the ball went right into the arms of Shavon Revel Jr.
4. A costly miscue
With just under two minutes left in the first half, the Cowboys’ offense was poised to strike and go into halftime with the lead. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. After being the recipient of the game’s first turnover, Dak Prescott gave the ball right back when he tried to throw the ball away on third down and heaved it downfield. Unfortunately, Giants safety Jevon Holland flew over and hauled in the catch before sliding out of bounds. Just like that, the Giants were now poised to strike before the end of the half.
5. Being a softy
The Dak interception hurt because the Giants proceeded to march 55 yards on six plays in only 29 seconds to score a touchdown and take a 14-7 lead into halftime. It was frustrating to see the Giants move so easily as three times Jaxson Dart found wide-open receivers in space in soft coverage. The Cowboys’ defense wasn’t anywhere close to the Giants’ pass catchers, making fans have flashbacks of last year’s red-carpet defense. It was a terrible way to end the half.
6. Terrible start to the second half
If the end of the first half didn’t sting enough, the Cowboys made sure the pain would linger into the second half. On their opening possession of the second half, the Giants went 74 yards on 12 plays in just over eight minutes to go up 21-7. It was tough to watch. The defense couldn’t make stops. To make matters even worse, the Cowboys burned a second-half timeout because they were discombobulated on the Giants’ opening drive.
7. Pass Interference
If you feel like you’ve read this already, you have. Bad start to the half. Giants commit pass interference penalties. Cowboys strike back. Yes, it happened again. While the New York defenders were guilty most of the time, it wasn’t always the case. The last one in the end zone against CeeDee Lamb looked a little suspect. The Cowboys probably score anyway there, so it’s probably moot, but the Cowboys kept benefiting from the grabby defenders and the flag-ready refs. A promising drive cut the lead to 21-14 late in the third quarter. The suspense was building.
8. Couldn’t make stops
The Cowboys’ offense started slow, but eventually, they moved the ball. However, it didn’t matter because they never had enough opportunities. They scored every time they touched the ball in the second half, but unfortunately, they only touched it twice. Two second-half possessions! That’s because the Cowboys’ defense couldn’t get off the field. The Giants’ offense kept churning out long, time-consuming drives, holding the ball for over 21 minutes in the second half. Dallas was never going to get back into the game if they couldn’t make stops, and they couldn’t. The Giants punted once in the game.
9. A Likely hero
The Giants’ offense was sharp. Dart was impressive, making good decisions all night. Skattaboo was running over people, flexing, and doing backflips. Even Malik Nabers made some nice catches, which showed his resiliency after returning from his injury a year ago. But on this day, the Giants’ biggest offensive hero was tight end Isaiah Likely, who had an impressive debut with his new team. He finished the game with eight catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns, including several key third-down catches. The Cowboys had no answer for him.
10. Sloppy play
This game was a physical battle with both teams bringing a lot of tenacity, but sometimes that fire got them burned. Both teams were committing penalties left and right. The Cowboys finished with nine penalties for 90 yards while the Giants were even worse with 10 penalties for 114 yards. The Giants struggled with pass interference while the Cowboys kept committing super lame personal foul penalties. Late hits, facemasks, and even taunting penalties from nice-guy Javonte Williams. That’s when you know it’s bad. Both teams just looked very undisciplined and were out there running amok at times.
