The first Sunday of Week 1 ended with the latest installment of the Cowboys-Giants rivalry. As expected, it drew a big crowd.
The game averaged 25.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. It made 2026 the first year since 2015 with both the kickoff game and the Week 1 Sunday night game at 25 million or more.
Viewership peaked at 29.0 million in the second quarter, from 9:00 to 9:15 p.m. ET.
It was also the most-watched Week 1 Sunday night game since 2015, when the Cowboys hosted the Giants. It was a four-percent bump over last year’s Ravens-Bills classic, which Buffalo stormed back to win, 41-40.
The Patriots-Seahawks game to open the season on Wednesday night averaged 25.1 million viewers.
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After electing to come out of retirement, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald did not travel to Australia for the team’s eventual Week 1 loss to the 49ers.
But will he play in the Week 2 matchup against the Giants?
Head coach Sean McVay said on Monday that’s still to be determined.
“We haven’t decided that yet,” McVay said in his video conference, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. “He’s going to continue to work his process and we’ll see what that looks like.”
Los Angeles’ defense could use a boost from Donald, especially considering that the unit won’t have edge rusher Myles Garrett for at least the next four weeks as he undergoes knee surgery. The 49ers finished with 379 yards, 23 first downs, and 7-of-12 on third down against the Rams last week.
Wide receiver Malik Nabers made his first appearance in the Giants’ lineup in almost a year when he took the field against the Cowboys on Sunday night.
Nabers tore his ACL last September and he remained noncommittal about playing all the way through the week. After the 28-20 win, Nabers said he was up in the air all the way through pregame warmups and that he told his family not to come to the game because he didn’t want to disappoint them by not playing.
“The deciding factor was just when I got out there, I just felt good,” Nabers said after the game. “I felt good. I got a little chill through my body and I was like, “Yeah, it’s time. It’s time.”
Quarterback Jaxson Dart said in his press conference that head coach John Harbaugh tackled Nabers during a walkthrough earlier in the weekend to show the wideout that he was ready. It took a little longer for Nabers to be convinced, but Dart was happy that the outcome allowed him to throw the ball to his top target.
“It was great, it was great. He’s just a guy where, no matter what the coverage is, no matter who they put out there on him, you have all the confidence in the world that he’s going to make a play,” Dart said.
Nabers finished the day with six catches for 69 yards and the Giants will be looking for even bigger numbers now that he’s got the first game back under his belt.
The Giants capped the first Sunday of the 2026 season with their first win under head coach John Harbaugh.
Dallas was the favorite at MetLife Stadium, but the Giants drove for a touchdown the first time they had the ball and never trailed on their way to a 28-20 win that featured plenty to like in every phase of the game. Quarterback Jaxson Dart threw three touchdowns and ran for 54 yards while showing full command of the offense to kick off his second season, and said after the game that the effort was a result of putting everything Harbaugh has been preaching into action.
“I just think that we have so much respect for coach Harbs, and this team will do whatever he says because we have all the faith that he’s going to put us in the best situation to win,” Dart said. “The identity of a team starts at the top and it starts with how he’s conducted himself, with how he’s created a tough team. We want to take that on our shoulders and we bought in to what his plan is week in and week out. We’re definitely happy to get it for him. We were just really happy to get it — not only for the players but for the organization.”
It’s the first time the Giants opened a season with a win since 2022, which was the last time that they ended a season with a trip to the playoffs. Sunday night’s performance will have some around the team thinking about a similar destination and it will be on Harbaugh to make sure that no one gets too far ahead of themselves after a stirring debut.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said after Sunday night’s 28-20 loss to the Giants that his team simply wasn’t good enough in Week 1.
“As a football team, we were pretty poor,” Schottenheimer said. “This is a humbling business and we got humbled tonight. That’s what I told the guys. We lost mile one of a 17-mile marathon, and we have to be better, and we will be better.”
Schottenheimer said he isn’t sure if he’s been on a team that had a more disappointing opener.
“This one feels pretty bad just because at the end of the day, we just didn’t perform the way we’re capable of playing,” Schottenheimer said. “We didn’t play defense the way we’re capable of playing. We didn’t play offense in the first half the way we’re capable of playing.”
Schottenheimer also said he won’t overreact to one loss.
“We’re not going to panic,” Schottenheimer said. “This is a long season, and we know we’re not going to go undefeated.”
The Giants certainly looked like a new squad under new head coach John Harbaugh.
New York used long, punishing drives to control the game, defeating Dallas 28-20 on Sunday Night Football.
After a Dak Prescott interception late in the second quarter, the Giants took a 14-7 lead into halftime with Isaiah Likely’s 15-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Jaxson Dart. Then, after receiving the second-half kickoff, Likely scored his second touchdown to cap a 12-play, 74-yard drive that took 8:01 off the clock, pushing the lead to 21-7.
The Cowboys responded with a long touchdown drive of their own. But the Giants effectively put the game out of reach with another long drive featuring several swing passes — including Dart’s 9-yard TD pass to Devin Singletary.
That drive took 8:11 off the clock, leaving just 7:26 in the final period.
Dallas again scored, this time on a 17-yard reception from Javonte Williams. But the running back taunted as he crossed the goal line, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. Brandon Aubrey missed the extra point wide right, keeping it an eight-point game.
But even with an extra point — or a potential two-point conversion — it wouldn’t have mattered, because the Cowboys defense could not get a stop. Dallas never got the ball back, as the Giants held it for the last 5:21 to win.
New York ended the game with 29 first downs, 394 yards, and was 9-of-11 on third down. The club was really 9-of-10, as the final third down was a knee from Dart to run out the clock.
The Giants’ second-year QB was 23-of-29 for 230 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. He also had 54 yards on the ground.
Likely was his top target throughout the night, catching all eight of his targets for 78 yards with his two TDs. Malik Nabers — returning from a torn ACL — caught six passes for 69 yards. Cam Skattebo had 81 yards on 18 carries with a TD.
On the other side, Prescott finished 22-of-34 for 175 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. There wasn’t much running room, as Williams finished with just 41 yards on 12 carries. CeeDee Lamb was limited to 44 yards on five catches with a touchdown. George Pickens had a bad drop down the sideline in the first half, finishing with just three catches for 28 yards.
Dallas may have some more issues defensively, as the team lost a couple of key players. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown went down in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. Malik Hooker also had to exit with a forearm injury in the second half and was not able to return.
Now at 1-0, the Giants will be on the road next week to play the Rams on Monday night.
The 0-1 Cowboys will have their home opener next Sunday afternoon against the Commanders.
Don’t look now, but the Giants are putting it on the Cowboys.
Isaiah Likely caught his second touchdown pass in as many drives to give New York a 21-7 lead over Dallas early in the third quarter.
Likely’s touchdown capped a 12-play, 74-yard drive that took 8:01 off the clock to start the third quarter.
With the halftime break, the Cowboys have now been outscored 14-0 since they last touched the ball.
New York was efficient on the latest possession, with the team not even facing a third down on the way to the end zone.
Dart is now 16-of-20 for 183 yards with two touchdowns, both of which have gone to Likely. The tight end has caught all six of his targets for 61 yards.
A critical mistake by Dak Prescott allowed the Giants to take a seven-point lead into halftime.
New York leads Dallas 14-7 after Jaxson Dart’s 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely.
The Cowboys had gotten an extra possession after defensive tackle Quinnen Williams punched the ball out from running back Tyrone Tracy. But Prescott gave it back when he threw a pick to safety Jevon Holland on third-and-5 from Dallas’ 36. Prescott was ostensibly trying to throw the ball away, as he was heavily pressured. But he didn’t get enough on the ball while rolling to his right, and it floated long enough for Holland to make a sliding catch before the ball landed out of bounds.
Dart completed passes to Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, and Likely to get the Giants down to the 15-yard line.
Then on the next play, Dart hit a wide-open Likely in the end zone for the score.
It was a good end to the half for Dart, who completed 11-of-15 passes for 134 yards with that TD in the first two quarters. He also leads the Giants with 39 yards on three carries — including a 22-yard run. While he fumbled once, the Giants recovered it.
New York has 14 first downs, 213 yards, and was 4-of-5 on third down in the first 30 minutes. Likely leads with five catches for 59 yards with a touchdown.
Cam Skattebo opened the scoring with his 3-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.
On the other side, Prescott is 10-of-17 for 72 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
CeeDee Lamb caught a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter that tied the game at 7-7 with 5:44 left in the second quarter.
The Giants will have a chance to double up, as they’ll receive the second-half kickoff.
The Cowboys have tied it up.
Dak Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb for a 1-yard touchdown to make the game 7-7 with 5:44 left in the second quarter.
New York had a couple of penalties that helped Dallas get into scoring position. On third-and-11 from Dallas’ 24, Greg Newsome was flagged for pass interference on a downfield shot to George Pickens. That put the Cowboys on New York’s 38-yard line.
Then on third-and-4 from the New York 21, Dru Phillips was flagged for defensive pass interference to put the ball on the 2-yard line.
A couple of plays later, Prescott hit Lamb in the end zone for the score. It looked as if Lamb might have pushed off, but no flag was thrown.
Additionally, before the start of Dallas’ drive, there was a false start called on the Giants when they lined up for a fourth down, but replay did not show an offensive lineman moving. NBC’s Terry McAuley noted that he looked at multiple angles and did not see a player false start. New York seemed likely to punt the ball regardless, as the club was on its own side of the field. But it was still an apparent officiating mistake.
The Giants have taken an early lead over the division-rival Cowboys with a touchdown on their opening drive.
It’s 7-0, New York, with 6:40 left in the first quarter.
The Giants were already moving the ball when quarterback Jaxson Dart took a designed run 22 yards to the left. But already out of bounds, he was hit by Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown to give New York 15 more yards to get down to the 22-yard line.
Then Dart moved the chains on third-and-3 with a 12-yard pass to Isaiah Likely, putting the Giants inside the 5-yard line.
On the next play, Cam Skattebo easily walked in for a touchdown — doing a cartwheel into a flip to celebrate.
Dart was 2-of-3 for 22 yards passing. He also had two rushes for 23 yards on the possession.
Malik Nabers also caught his first pass of the season on New York’s second set of downs, gaining 9 yards on the left side.
