The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants battled it out at MetLife Stadium in the first "Sunday Night Football" game of the 2026 season. There was plenty of hope on both sidelines coming into the game: the Giants with a new Super Bowl-winning head coach in John Harbaugh, and the Cowboys with a completely revamped defense. But it didn't matter for Dallas, as the Giants walked away with a 28-20 victory at home in Harbaugh's debut.
Jaxson Dart did all he wanted, going 23 of 29 for 230 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions, along with 54 rushing yards. Cam Skattebo out-physicaled the Cowboys' defensive line, and Isaiah Likely looked like one of the best tight ends in football, finishing with 78 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches. But this time for Dallas, it wasn't just the defense; the offense struggled too, a point Cowboys legend Michael Irvin was quick to make Monday morning on "First Take." "What the hell was that?
What the hell was that last night?" Irvin said. "The Giants came out and they were physical. And they played a physical football game.
I fully expected the Giants to be what they are. I did not expect the Cowboys to be what they were last night. It was the same old, same old.
"I don't mind, you know, and we'll talk about the defense. We'll talk about how the defense was out of place, and they made plays. My biggest concern was really not just the defense.
It really was the offense. Because that's where we knew we had something going. And that part didn't show up.
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