From Dallas Cowboys On SI · · 2m
Giants rise as Cowboys stumble in NFC East opener
Week 1 put the NFC East on notice, with New York celebrating and Dallas facing hard questions fast.
In brief
Week 1 put the NFC East on notice, with New York celebrating and Dallas facing hard questions fast. The Giants made the loudest Week 1 statement, while Dallas has to fix a defense that looked overmatched right away. Originally reported by Dallas Cowboys On SI.
Division games opened it
All four NFC East teams started 2026 against each other. Dallas visited the Giants, while Philadelphia hosted Washington in a tight opener.
Giants finally punched back
New York beat Dallas 28-20 at MetLife Stadium, turning a matchup that has often hurt Giants fans into a clean Week 1 celebration.
“the entire Giants franchise and fanbase should feel ecstatic”
A long wait broke
The win mattered because Dallas has controlled this rivalry lately, including a 40-0 Giants home loss to open the 2023 season.
“The Giants have routinely come up short against Dallas”
New York found its spark
Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, and Jim Harbaugh all came out looking like early winners. The whole franchise got a needed reset feeling.
Dallas defense collapsed
The Cowboys only lost by one score, but the defense was the real alarm. A unit praised all offseason got pushed around from the start.
“it's hard to imagine a much worse season opener”
Hype met reality
Christian Parker's defense was supposed to look improved. Instead, Dallas turned in one of the roughest defensive games since Week 1 of last season.
Giants kept it simple
New York did not need tricks. The Giants won with force, gaining control at the line and getting what they wanted on too many downs.
“they simply out-muscled the Cowboys all night”
Mannion passed first test
Philadelphia's offense had questions under new coordinator Sean Mannion. A 24-22 win over Washington gave Eagles fans a solid first answer.
Hurts stayed clean
Jalen Hurts went 14 of 25 for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Most important, he avoided interceptions in the post-AJ Brown opener.
“three touchdowns, and most importantly, no interceptions”
Washington started too slowly
Jayden Daniels came alive after halftime, but Washington's first half hurt badly. Four straight punts let Philadelphia build the margin it needed.
One drive changed it
Washington had five three-and-outs in all. Flip just one of those possessions, and the Commanders may have opened with a road upset.
“Just one of those drives ending differently would have made all the difference”
Week 1 sent warnings
The Giants and Eagles left with reasons to believe. Dallas and Washington left knowing early flaws can get expensive fast in this division.
The short version
The Giants made the loudest Week 1 statement, while Dallas has to fix a defense that looked overmatched right away.
