The Cowboys open the season under the brightest lights, and Sunday night in MetLife Stadium comes with the kind of early jolt that can set the tone for everything that follows. Dallas and New York are back on Sunday Night Football, because the NFL knows exactly how to package this matchup. Football is officially back.
There’s plenty for Dallas to sort through before kickoff, even if the injury list is relatively clean. Malik Davis is out after hurting his hip in Friday’s practice, and he’s the only Cowboy ruled out.
Ajani Cornelius, Jonathan Bullard, and Luke Schoonmaker, who missed Thursday’s practice because of personal reasons, are all good to go. That leaves Dallas in decent shape for a Week 1 test that already carries plenty of familiar pressure.
The Giants have a few situations worth monitoring, too. Andrew Thomas is dealing with a knee injury, Malik Nabers is questionable with a knee issue, and Shelby Harris, Theo Johnson, and Bryan Hudson are also on the report.
The big-picture pull here is obvious: the Cowboys have had the Giants’ number in the Dak Prescott era. Prescott has not lost to New York in a game he started and finished since his rookie season 10 years ago.
That history is comforting and unnerving at the same time. A Dallas win would probably feel normal; a loss would land with extra force.
One of the biggest reasons to keep watching this team is the defense. That unit has been the offseason talking point for a reason, and new coordinator Christian Parker is expected to drag it from helpless to league-average, which would make Dallas dangerous.
The signs from summer were encouraging. In joint practice against the LA Rams, who ranked second in EPA per play last season, Dallas held its own.
Even the third- and fourth-stringers looked organized in the preseason, which says something about the scheme and Parker’s attention to detail.
The personnel helps explain the optimism. Caleb Downs.
Quinnen Williams’ first full season in Dallas. Jalen Thompson.
Rashan Gary. Cobie Durant.
Dee Winters. Jaishawn Barham.
Von Miller. Otitio Ogbonnia.
Compare that group to the Week 1 defense from a year ago and the expectation for improvement is hard to miss. The real question is how much better they are.
Sunday night won’t answer that completely, but it should give a useful snapshot.
On offense, the spotlight shifts to how Dallas handles Tyler Smith’s absence. The All-Pro lineman is set to miss the next 4-6 weeks after thumb surgery, and that’s the sort of loss that can knock plenty of offenses off course.
The Cowboys have enough firepower to keep moving. Dak Prescott is comfortable when the pocket starts to cave, and CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens give him two elite targets to lean on.
T.J. Bass is the next man up, and he brings real experience, with more than 1,000 snaps at left and right guard across three seasons in Dallas.
If there’s a place where Smith’s injury could show up, it’s in the run game. Bass is better in pass protection than he is at generating movement on the ground.
Still, Klayton Adams has one of the league’s more creative run designs, and Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, and Terence Steele are all strong run blockers. The offense should remain high-level even without Smith, though the ground game may not be quite as sharp.
Then there’s the secondary battle that could shape how far Parker’s defense can go. The Cowboys still haven’t announced a starter opposite DaRon Bland, and both Shavon Revel and Cobie Durant are expected to play plenty after a tight training camp competition.
Revel, especially, turned heads all summer. Before the torn ACL that ended his final year at East Carolina, he was viewed as a first-round talent, and he looked the part in camp.
He stayed attached in coverage, regardless of the receiver in front of him, and kept putting himself in position to make plays on the ball.
Now comes the real test. Revel has already boosted his stock more than almost anyone on the roster this summer, but that won’t matter unless he carries it into the regular season.
If he does, Dallas could have a corner who can erase one side of the field. If he doesn’t, the defense’s ceiling changes fast.
For now, nobody knows exactly what he’ll look like when the lights come on.
The picks are lopsided, at least on paper. ESPN’s Matt Bowen, Pamela Maldonado, Lindsey Thiry, Ben Solak, Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Eric Moody, Jason Reid, Seth Wickersham, and Mike Clay all took the Cowboys.
NFL Media’s Colleen Wolfe, Kevin Patra, Bucky Brooks, Brandon Perna, Dan Parr, Lance Zierlein, Tom Grossi, Nick Shook, and Grant Gordon went with Dallas, while Brooke Cersosimo picked the Giants. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, Kristopher Knox, Moe Moton, and Brent Sobleski also chose the Cowboys.
In Other News...
Cowboys Trade Deadline Hope Just Got Much Tougher For Jerry Jones
The Cowboys have spent much of this stretch keeping an eye on the leagues biggest defensive names, and Maxx Crosby has been near the top of that list for good reason. Dallas was among the finalists when trade talks around the star edge rusher picked up earlier, and Jerry Jones has made clear he is willing to look for help if it can raise the ceiling of a defense that still needs impact talent.
But the path to any blockbuster just got a lot murkier. The Rams also tried to get involved, only to hear Crosby tell them and other interested teams that he does not want to be dealt and would prefer to stay with the Raiders, which leaves Dallas in a familiar holding pattern as the November 10 deadline approaches. The Cowboys have not closed the door on revisiting the chase, but for now the biggest obstacle is not price, it is whether Crosby is even available in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Have A Cornerback Opportunity That Could Come At A Cost
Cornerback help is the kind of thing that can reshape a defense fast, and Joey Porter Jr. has suddenly entered the conversation as a name worth watching. Contract talks between Porter and the Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly stalled, and he is open to playing elsewhere, which is enough to put several teams on alert. The Steelers have been willing to listen to trade offers, but their asking price has kept the market quiet so far.
For the Cowboys, the appeal is obvious. They have cap space and draft capital, two things that can make a bold trade more realistic if they decide Porter is the right fit. The cost is the real question, though, because Pittsburgh is said to be seeking a premium pick, and Dallas would have to decide how much it wants to pay for a cornerback opportunity that could strengthen the roster but also reshape how it handles its future draft resources. [Read more 🡒]
Javonte Williams Could Be The Cowboys' Sunday Night X-Factor
Sunday Night Football gives the Cowboys a chance to keep sorting out roles in a matchup with the Giants that has plenty of fantasy angles attached to it. Javonte Williams is one of the names drawing attention because of how player usage can tilt a slate like this, while Brandon Aubrey remains part of the conversation for Dallas managers looking at the kicking game in a contest that could feature plenty of scoring chances.
The Giants bring their own lineup questions, with uncertainty around Nabers availability shaping how people build around their passing attack. For Dallas, that creates a little more room for alternative pass catchers to matter, and it also keeps the focus on how the Cowboys may choose to spread opportunities in a game that looks useful for daily fantasy players trying to squeeze value out of every snap. [Read more 🡒]