The Dallas Cowboys and national TV games are like death and taxes every season. The Cowboys usually have a big game for their season opener in a primetime slot, and they will have the perfect opportunity to showcase their abilities against their Achilles heel from last season, their horrendous defense.
That's the case for this upcoming season as well, as the Cowboys go against their division rivals, the New York Giants, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football to begin the 2026 season. As usual for SNF, kickoff is at 7:20 CT on Sept. 13 on NBC and Peacock.
Over the past 25 season openers, the Cowboys have gotten just one afternoon slot (1 p.m. ET). They have also opened on NBC in the kickoff or Sunday Night game 12 times in the last 17 years, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
Most importantly, Cowboys fans will have eyes like hawks when they see the defense take the field. It won't be the same Matt Eberflus defense a year ago, but the bar isn't high to begin with.
Cowboys' season opener is a golden chance to start strong on defense against dark-horse Giants
It doesn't matter that both teams had a losing record last season. The Cowboys are expected to improve this year with a new-look defense, and the Giants have also made upgrades. This game promises to be another intriguing matchup in the long history of the rivalry, even though the Cowboys have won 10 out of the last 11 games.
Either way, the bright spotlight will be on the Cowboys right out of the gate, and it's a great opportunity for the team to show what's changed on the national stage. While the Cowboys' offense was one of the best in the NFL last season, their defense was one of the worst, ranking dead last in pass defense and points per game.
Whether that balance between the offense and defense has improved will be the key point to see at the start. The Giants have a new head coach in John Harbaugh and will have talented second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart leading their troops on offense. Malik Nabers is expected to break out in his third NFL season after suffering a torn ACL early last season.
Nabers is already familiar with Caleb Downs from their college days together, and it looks to be a popcorn matchup, at least on paper.
It's not like the Cowboys' defense won't be tested. Yes, the Giants are a mostly unproven unit on offense, but it will be interesting to see how new defensive coordinator Christian Parker will put together his group. There are high expectations for Parker to get this Cowboys defense up to a solid level.
The Giants will offer their challenges, but the Cowboys' defense gets to show the world how much they've improved. Having a rookie safety in Downs is a massive upgrade, but signing Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke was badly needed, too.
America's Team has another typical date with a division rival, but fans should embrace this specific Week 1 matchup as a great chance to see how the defense will showcase its talents compared to a year ago.
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