The Giants will start the season with something old and something new.
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tRY IT NOWThe John Harbaugh era will begin on “Sunday Night Football” with the Giants hosting the Cowboys at 8:20 p.m. on Sept. 13.
Giants-Cowboys season openers are something of an unofficial tradition, though the game is played in Dallas more often than in East Rutherford. The Giants and Cowboys met in Week 1 in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2023. Five of those seven games were at AT&T Stadium.
Even when they didn’t meet in Week 1, Giants-Cowboys was a September staple in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
Giants fans are still recovering from the 2023 season-opening primetime nightmare. Coming off a playoff appearance and with high expectations, the Giants lost 40-0 at home to the Cowboys. Adding injury to insult, stud left tackle Andrew Thomas strained his hamstring while chasing a blocked field goal and wound up sidelined for months while the season fell apart due to a failing offensive line.
John Harbaugh and the Giants will open the season against the Cowboys. Noah K. Murray for NY Post
The Giants did not request to be home in Week 1, but they will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first Super Bowl team this year.
The rivalry game also marks the NFL debuts (barring injury) of former Ohio State teammates and first-round picks Arvell Reese (Giants) and Caleb Downs (Cowboys). They could’ve been teammates in New York, but the Giants selected right guard Francis Mauigoa at No. 10 — after doing plenty of homework on Downs — before the Cowboys got Downs to play safety at No. 11.
The full 2026 NFL schedule release will take place on Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch the schedule release show on EPSN2 and NFL Network with a DIRECTV free trial.
Jaxson Dart takes selfies fans after win over the Cowboys last season. Robert Sabo for NY PostThe Giants last started 1-0 in 2022 with a win over the Titans, who were thought to be a logical Week 1 opponent in 2026 given the storyline of former head coach Brian Daboll’s return as Titans offensive coordinator. The Titans also signed four former Giants to be possible starters during free agency.
Harbaugh will be trying to reverse a couple of negative trends. First, the Giants are 2-13 in their past 15 season openers, including 1-8 since 2017. Second, the Giants are 7-22-1 within the NFC East over the past five seasons.
The bulk of the NFL schedule will be released Thursday, though there is a possibility the Giants could be part of more one-off primetime and international games announced before then.
It sets up a fun New York sports doubleheader (and maybe tripleheader) for fans. The Mets visit Yankee Stadium for the Subway Series at 1:35 p.m. on Sept. 13, and the time for the Jets season opener remains unknown.
