The 2026 NFL schedule won’t be released in full until 8 p.m. on Thursday May 14, but the league teased out a few of the Week 1 matchups in advance of that. Big Blue has been awarded a plum Week 1 game, in prime time: The first Sunday night game of the season, at MetLife Stadium against the Cowboys on September 13. In an odd twist of scheduling, this will be consecutive games between these two teams. They met on January 4, in a largely meaningless Week 18 game that the Giants won, 34-17.
In a development that should surprise nobody, betting lines are out for the Week 1 game. Here are the FanDuel odds:
LINE: Cowboys (-2.5). A bet on the favored Cowboys is (-120), while a bet on the underdog Giants is (-102).
MONEYLINE: Cowboys (-154), Giants (+130).
OVER/UNDER: 48.5. Over is (-115) and Under is (-105).
Recent history in the series is extremely lopsided. Before the Giants’ Week 18 win in January, Dallas won nine straight contests in the series, and 16 of the prior 17. However, the Cowboys needed overtime to vanquish the Giants 40-37 in a wild shootout in Week 2 of last season. So maybe John Harbaugh’s team is entering a new, more competitive era in the series, and a point spread that’s less than a field goal is noteworthy given the history.
Shootouts were the norm for Dallas last season. Offense wasn’t a problem, and figures to be a major strength again this year. But they traded Edge Micah Parsons to the Packers prior to the start of the season, and their defense fell apart and couldn’t stop anyone all year. Dallas allowed the most points per game (30.1), third most yards per game (377), and was at or near the bottom of the league in multiple defensive categories. Shoring up that defense has been a major priority this off-season.
We know all about the Giants’ offseason moves, including their impressive haul in the 2026 draft. Dallas came into the draft with the second most first round capital, trailing only the Giants. After a trade-up with Miami from pick 12 to pick 11, they snagged Ohio State Safety Caleb Downs, who the Giants passed on twice. They followed that up with UCF edge Malachi Lawrence at Pick 23. Dallas added additional depth in later rounds. Big D was also active in trading and free agency, adding Safety Jalen Thompson from Arizona, Edge Rashan Gary from Green Bay, and CB Cobie Durant from the Rams, among others. If the Dallas defense can be somewhat serviceable in 2026, they could make some noise in the NFC.
It’s way too early to handicap this matchup, but for gamblers who want to get in early, the window is officially open.
