The New York Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to open their 2026 regular season schedule.
Here are five storylines we'll be following in this matchup.
Harbaugh era begins
The Giants have floundered for over a decade, largely because they lacked real leadership. They inked veteran Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh to a five-year, $100 million contract in January and have already shown signs of a turnaround. NBC, which is airing the game nationally, will have a camera dedicated solely to Harbaugh. It's that big of a deal.
The return of Odell Beckham Jr.
OBJ might get his own cameraman on Sunday, too. The former All-Pro wideout comes back to the Giants after eight seasons and is one of only four wide receivers the team
has on the current roster, so he'll see the field on Sunday night. When he does, the crowd will welcome him warmly, and if he makes a splash in the game, look out.
The health of Malik Nabers
Nabers is coming off a serious and complex knee injury and rehabilitation. He did not play in the preseason and has been brought along slowly all summer. Nabers was listed as a "full participant" at practice on Wednesday, and all signs are pointing to him playing. How much he'll be able to play and at what level is still unknown, but the Giants are confident he's almost fully back.
A defense ready to shock and awe
General manager Joe Schoen must be watching old interviews of one of his predecessors, Ernie Accorsi, who always said that you can't have enough pass rushers. The Giants are flush with pass-rushing options this season, beginning with Pro Bowl outside linebacker Brian Burns and continuing with three top-10 draft picks in linebackers Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Arvell Reese. We have yet to see these players out on the field at the same time. The waiting ends Sunday night.
Jaxson Dart: Is he ready for his star turn?
Dart looks like a star, acts like a star on and off the field, and possesses the swagger of one. Now, all he has to do is win like a star. Last year, Dart created a buzz, but the Giants still only won four games. He can start by beating Dallas for the second time in his career on Sunday night in front of the world. He'll have to play more heady football and stay out of the blue medical tent, too. The sky is the limit for Dart, and Sunday could be an indication of whether the Giants have their franchise man under center or not.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: 5 storylines to watch in Week 1
