The Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 regular season got off to an abysmal start on Sunday night. As they do nearly every year, Dallas came into the season with high hopes. After the disaster that was last season, offseason upgrades had the Cowboys believing they could be a serious contender. Unfortunately for Dallas, it was hard to spot the difference between the 2025 team and the one we saw on the field Sunday night.
While the game finished 28-20, the score was not indicative of the play on the field. The Giants were clearly the most physical and fundamentally sound team, and it showed time and time again in big moments throughout the game. Dallas’ new-look defense looked almost identical to their defensive unit from last season, and their high-powered offense shot itself in the foot by shrinking in big moments.
There was signifigantly more bad than good for Dallas on Sunday night, but there were a few bright spots in the loss. Maybe the brightest of which was the play of starting left tackle Tyler Guyton. The former first-round pick, who is facing a true make-or-break season this year, got off to an excellent start, earning him the Week 1 game ball award.
While facing off against star pass rusher Brian Burns, the 25-year-old tackle allowed no pressures across 20 pass-blocking matchups. On the night as a whole, Guyton allowed just two pressures in his 36 total pass blocks in the game, a very solid mark going up against a talented Giants’ pass rush.
This performance is even more impressive when you consider that Guyton did not have his usual running mate, All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith, lining up next to him every play. For one of the few times in his brief NFL career, Guyton looked like the guy Dallas envisioned he could be when they selected him with the 29th overall pick back in 2024.
On a night that was discouraging for the team, to say the least, the Cowboys have to feel encouraged on a personal level by what Tyler Guyton did against New York. If the left tackle can continue this preformance throughout the entirety of the regular season, Dallas may have themselves another Pro Bowl offensive lineman.
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