3 Matchups That Will Decide the Giants' Week 1 Fate Against Dallas

The long wait is almost over for the New York Giants as they open their 2026 season at home against the Dallas Cowboys, marking the start of the John Harbaugh era and a quest to restore the pride and competitiveness that have eluded them since their last Super Bowl appearance in 2011.

Dallas carries an impressive 16-2 record in the previous 18 meetings. The Giants’ NFC East rival has made some improvements, but they’re not facing the same-old Giants, who will need to beat this team.

A complete turnaround begins with beating the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, and if the Giants want to get there, these three matchups must lean in their favor.

Dak Prescott vs Giants Defense

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since entering the league in 2016, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott holds a 14-3 career record against New York. To go along with his .824 winning percentage, Prescott has completed nearly two-thirds of his pass attempts for 4,346 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions.

He has also thrown at least two touchdown passes in nine of those matchups against a Giants defense he seems to read with ease.

To stop this trend from carrying into 2026, the Giants are going to have to find a way to get home to Prescott and make him feel some pressure. They've only been able to sack him two or more times just once in the past five meetings, that being their Week 2 loss in Dallas last season when they brought him to the ground three times.

Prescott has benefited from playing behind one of the most experienced and healthy offensive lines in the NFL during his career, but that advantage hasn't been the same lately. The Cowboys' front slid to 19th in pass-block win rate in 2025, and are returning with four out of five starters holding less than four years of NFL experience.

There could also be a weak link in that starting line after the Cowboys lost veteran left guard Tyler Smith to a thumb injury that will sideline him for the first few games of the season. Smith is one of the best overall blockers on Dallas' front, and his replacement, T.J. Bass hasn't had as many reps under his belt.

With the Giants' bevy of pass rush weapons and a new defensive scheme that could throw a lot at an opposing offensive line, this might be one of the team's best chances to put some heat on Prescott and slow him and the Cowboys' volatile passing attack from putting up another 300+ yards and multiple scores by the end of the day.

It must happen from the start of the game, as Prescott can quickly gain his confidence under center. When he does, it could lead to another matchup where the Giants have to fight from behind to keep pace with their division rivals.

Cowboys Run Game vs Giants Defensive Line

Jun 16, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Giants will not get very far in their first season with John Harbaugh if they don’t figure out how to stop the opposing ground game more consistently. The Cowboys will be a good first test to see whether improvement is on the horizon.

Last season, the Giants were barely more than a total punching bag against the run, allowing the second most total yards (2,470) and the highest average yards per carry (5.3) in the league.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys ranked 16th in rushes and posted a top-10 unit in the same categories, while also ranking No. 11 in rushing touchdowns (18). Dallas used that to their advantage in both meetings with the Giants, collecting 135 and 143 yards on the ground, respectively.

Running back Javonte Williams is back for a second season with Dallas as their top rusher. He had his best season in a Cowboys uniform. He tallied 252 carries for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 4.8-yard average per carry, and his lone game against New York saw him create 130 yards from scrimmage.

The Giants lost the most important figure in their run game when they traded Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals during the offseason, but they tried to fill his shoes with a pair of veterans in Shelby Harris and D.J. Reader.

They also used one of their sixth-round draft picks on rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis, who had some flashes in camp and the preseason, and have been hoping to see Darius Alexander take a step up after he provided 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 16 games as a novice.

With mixed results in their three exhibition games this summer, the area remains a concern until proven otherwise. It won’t be a surprise to see the Cowboys try to set the tone in the trenches early or fall into the run game if they build an early lead.

If they can do that and dominate the clock, recent history shows that doesn’t work well for the Giants’ chances of winning. Gaining initial leverage against the run from the first defensive drive will be imperative if Big Blue wants to give their offense a chance to put Dallas on their heels.

Giants Run Game vs Cowboys Defense

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) runs with the ball during a preseason opening game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One of the core facets of the Giants’ rebooted offense under Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is the heavier emphasis they will place on running the football right down their opponent’s throat from the very first drive.

The Giants made some moves to help with that mission, signing Harbaugh’s former Baltimore fullback Patrick Ricard to supply a 300-pound blocker who can use his power to open up the rushing lanes for his teammates carrying the rock.

The late addition of veteran Najee Harris will also give the team a second player with 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and a relentless style that can often wear down a defense as the game wears on.

Still, a couple of key concerns linger as the first game of the year approaches. The first is whether Skattebo and Harris can stay healthy and handle a full game’s workload after both players sustained serious ankle and knee injuries that capped their 2025 campaigns.

After that, it becomes a matter of seeing which of the three running backs takes control of the rotation. Skattebo’s crazed style of running is always risky; Harris is 28 years old with some wear on his tires from four 1,000-yard seasons plus he’s coming off an Achilles injury; and Tyrone Tracy has struggled to help as a pass blocker.

No matter who it is, the run game must continue to be a strength for the Giants after they finished in the league’s top five teams in attempts, yards, and rushing touchdowns in 2025, and they could get off to a nice start against a Cowboys defense that also wasn’t as sharp at stopping it.

Apart from other factors, Dallas’ year likely went down the drain to a 7-9 record because they were giving up 4.7 yards per carry (No. 26) and allowed 24 touchdowns (No. 31). They held the Giants to 84 yards in the first meeting, but that output nearly doubled in the Week 18 finale with 161 yards.

The Cowboys responded with roster improvements, including several free-agent signings to beef up their defensive interior depth. Arguably the most notable was the signing of All-Pro edge rusher Von Miller, who has still shown flashes of athletic ability at age 37 that could pose some problems for the Giants at the line of scrimmage.

Given both teams are coming off the preseason, where the starting lineups typically don't earn a ton of playing time and thus aren't able to gel in a real game environment fully, the Giants might have a shot to sneak in a big rushing performance on Dallas before their defense starts to settle into their own game.

For either side, gaining the edge in the run game will be critical to slowing the game down, wearing out the defense, and then letting the passing attack put the finishing touches on what they hope is a win.

The Giants believe they can be a tough and physical football team. The best time to show it will come on Sunday night against the Cowboys, who'd rather turn the affair into a shootout they believe their rivals won't be able to hang with.

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