A new season brings new expectations in Dallas, and with it comes our first _Reasons To Be Positive_ article of 2026. Each week, we are going to forget about the reasons the Cowboys could lose and focus completely on why they can win. Let this be the series that brings you unadulterated optimism for the upcoming matchup.
The Cowboys begin their season under the lights on _Sunday Night Football_, travelling to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants. New York may have homefield advantage, but history says this is one of the better opening-week matchups Dallas could have been given.
Few teams have been controlled by the Cowboys quite like the Giants in recent years. Dallas has won 16 of the last 18 meetings between these teams and leads the all-time series 78-48-2. Even more encouraging is what happens when these two teams meet in Week 1. This will be the 13th time Dallas has opened a season against New York, and the Cowboys are an incredible 11-2 in those games.
MetLife Stadium has hardly been a place Dallas should fear either. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, the Cowboys have played nine road games against the Giants and won seven of them. New York finally stopped that run in last season’s finale, but Dallas has still owned this matchup for nearly a decade.
The last time Prescott played a full game against this defense provides a much better example of why Cowboys fans should feel confident. Dallas beat New York 40-37 in Week 2 last year as Prescott completed 73% of his passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys produced 478 total yards, went a perfect three-for-three in the red zone, and Javonte Williams added 97 rushing yards with a touchdown. CeeDee Lamb finished with 113 receiving yards, while George Pickens and Jake Ferguson were heavily involved as well. This was all happening while the defense was in disarray and producing an extremely lackluster season.
Dallas finished last season second in the NFL in total offense and second in passing yards, while its 27 points per game ranked seventh. Prescott threw for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions, finishing with a 99.5 passer rating. It means New York begins the year having to defend one of the NFL’s most productive passing attacks rather than an offense still trying to find its identity.
The biggest matchup to get excited about, though, may be on the ground.
New York’s run defense was one of the worst in football last season. The Giants allowed 2,470 rushing yards, the second-most in the NFL, while opponents averaged 5.3 yards per carry, which ranked dead last. They also surrendered 21 rushing touchdowns. New York has changed coaches and personnel, so the defense will certainly look different, but that weakness gives Dallas a very obvious place to test them immediately.
That is excellent news for Williams. His first year in Dallas produced 1,201 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns at 4.8 yards per carry. He isn’t entering 2026 trying to prove whether he can handle the RB1 job anymore. He already did that. If the Cowboys offensive line can get movement against a Giants defense that was routinely pushed around on the ground last year, Williams gives Dallas a way to control the game and take pressure away from Prescott.
There are reasons for optimism on the other side of the ball as well.
The Cowboys defense was the biggest problem on the team last season, so Dallas attacked that unit aggressively. Christian Parker has taken over as defensive coordinator, while the group now includes major additions such as Rashan Gary, Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke and rookie safety Caleb Downs alongside Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel have also entered camp healthy after Dallas spent much of last season dealing with problems in the secondary.
The biggest weapon in that Giants offense also isn’t guaranteed to enter Week 1 at full strength. Malik Nabers tore his ACL and suffered meniscus damage last September. John Harbaugh has made it clear that New York hopes Nabers will be ready for Dallas, but his Week 1 status still depends on medical clearance and progressing back to full-speed football. Even if he plays, asking a receiver to immediately look like his old self after such a serious knee injury is a different situation from having a fully healthy Nabers throughout camp.
The Cowboys have every reason to believe they can walk into MetLife Stadium, spoil the beginning of the John Harbaugh era and fly home 1-0.
See More:
* [Dallas Cowboys analysis](/dallas-cowboys-analysis)
* [Dallas Cowboys Roster](/dallas-cowboys-roster)