EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Cowboys fans have learned to expect better results when watching games played in MetLife Stadium. That only adds to the pain in an otherwise all-too-familiar look from a team trying to find its way back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023. They’re not going anywhere playing like this.
Scoring touchdowns in half of your real possessions is not a bad thing. At least under normal circumstances. But the Cowboys chose to punt on fourth and 1 on their opening series, then committed a killer interception less than a minute before halftime which changed the course of the game. Dak Prescott threw for barely 5 yards per attempt. Javonte Williams managed less than 3.5 yards per carry as the offensive line learned that life without Tyler Smith will be no picnic. When CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are held to 72 yards combined (with three drops), it’s a really rough opening night.
Young quarterback Jaxson Dart is good, but he’s no MVP candidate. He would be if he faced this defense week after week. He completed nearly 80 percent of his passes, ran freely and just kept the Giants offense humming for 36 minutes. Donovan Ezeiruaku had his moments up front, but the Cowboys had only two sacks for a loss of 1 yard. In other words, their pressure was meaningless. And the whole world knew that tight end Isaiah Likely was going to be a big target but Dallas couldn’t contain him at all (8 receptions on 8 targets, 78 yards, two TDs.)
Not a big factor in the game, although Brandon Aubrey’s kick after Williams’ touchdown reached the end zone, giving the Giants a short field (65 yards) which they traveled to put the game away. Aubrey also missed a long extra point following Williams’ taunting penalty, although it didn’t make a difference since Dallas never regained possession. KaVontae Turpin averaged a solid 24 yards on his kick returns.
Brian Schottenheimer was ready to take much of the blame for this one, and he’s not wrong. This was a team wholly unprepared for a season opener — bad penalties, players out of position, four drops by wide receivers. And it’s hard to believe Christian Parker couldn’t relay some wisdom to someone when the defense repeatedly left Devin Singletary wide open on swing passes that put the game out of reach.
It’s hard to like any aspect of the Cowboys’ play Sunday night. The defense forced four fumbles but recovered only one of them. Plays that could have made a significant difference failed. The Cowboys allowed Dart to look like the experienced, confident quarterback instead of Prescott. Not much excuse for that. The Giants have a different team in 2026, that much is obvious. Not so sure about Dallas.