John Harbaugh’s first game leading the Giants arrives with a ton of old Cowboys scar tissue attached to it.
On Sunday night in North Jersey, the Giants will open the season against Dallas for the 12th time, and the history in those Week 1 meetings is about as lopsided as it gets. New York has won only once in the previous 11 season-openers against the Cowboys, and that one victory came in 2016, when Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes and the Giants escaped AT&T Stadium with a 20-19 win.
The rest of the ledger is brutal. Since that first season-opening meeting on Sept. 19, 1965 - a 31-2 Giants loss - Dallas has gone 9-1 in the 10 Week 1 matchups since, leaving the Cowboys with a 10-1 all-time edge in season openers between the teams. Across those 11 games, Dallas has outscored New York 387-209, which works out to just over 35 points a game.
And the recent run has been even uglier for the Giants. Dallas has won the last three Week 1 meetings in 2017, 2019, and 2023 by a combined score of 94-20. That stretch includes the 40-0 loss at MetLife three years ago.
There is one fresh data point in New York’s favor, at least. The last time these teams met, the Giants beat Dallas 34-17 in Week 18 at MetLife Stadium. It was meaningless at the time, but it still counts as a win, and given that New York is 4-16 against the Cowboys since 2016, the Giants will take anything they can get.
Of course, none of that guarantees anything once the lights come on Sunday night. This is a new season, a new staff, and a new roster for New York. But for Harbaugh, a win in his debut would do more than just start the year right - it would finally give the Giants a way to shake off 61 years of Week 1 frustration against Dallas.
In Other News...
Former Giants RB At Center Of Sickening Off-Field Case
LeShon Johnson, a former Giants running back, is back in the news for all the wrong reasons after being sentenced to five years in prison and fined $30,000 for operating an illegal dogfighting ring. The case ended with convictions on six felony counts tied to possession, selling and trafficking animals used for fighting, a grim chapter that adds another dark footnote to the post-football life of a player once known for his time in the league.
The scope of the operation is what made the case stand out even more. After his arrest, Johnson surrendered 190 dogs, the largest number ever seized from one person in a federal dogfighting case, underscoring just how extensive the investigation became. It is a disturbing reminder that headlines involving former players can sometimes stretch far beyond the field and into crimes that carry both legal and moral weight. [Read more 🡒]
Odell Beckham Jr. Suddenly Carries More Weight In Giants Opener
The Giants head into Week 1 against the Cowboys with a receiver situation that looks a little thinner than it did a few days ago, and that has pushed Odell Beckham Jr. into a more meaningful role than some might have expected. Beckham made the final 53-man roster and is projected to be the fourth receiver, but with Darius Slayton released and Malik Nabers still working back from injury recovery, the depth chart has real consequences attached to it.
Beckham is expected to get meaningful snaps right away, which gives the Giants more than just another body at the position. His presence now matters both for what he can still do on the field and for the veteran steadiness he can bring to a group that may need it early. How much bigger that role becomes could depend on the health and availability of the receivers around him, and that makes Sunday feel like more than a routine opener. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Suddenly Need Theo Johnson For More Than They Planned
With Malik Nabers' availability still in question and Darius Slayton gone, the Giants are heading toward Week 1 against the Cowboys with less certainty at receiver than they probably wanted. That puts a different kind of spotlight on Theo Johnson, the tight end who led the team in receiving touchdowns last season and now looks poised to matter even more in the passing game.
Johnson was already part of the plan, but the shrinking margin for error around him changes the scale of the assignment. If the wideout group remains thin, the Giants may have to lean on him not just as a red-zone option, but as one of the more reliable ways to keep the offense moving while they sort out who is actually available and how much they can trust the rest of the passing game. [Read more 🡒]