Cowboys Open Season With 28-20 Loss to Giants on Sunday Night Broadcast

The Dallas Cowboys’ season opener did not go according to plan. Visiting East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday night, Dallas fell 28-20 to division rival New York after a defensive performance that head coach Brian Schottenheimer described bluntly as “pretty poor.”

Expectations had been high coming into the year. Owner Jerry Jones said over the summer that contending for a Super Bowl was not “outlandish or a reach to expect,” a notable statement for a team coming off a 7-9-1 finish. Quarterback Dak Prescott even wore a shirt commemorating the franchise’s last Super Bowl title during training camp.

The game itself turned on a second-half collapse. With Dallas still within 21-14, the Giants repeatedly ran the same play — quarterback Jaxson Dart finding running back Devin Singletary open in the left flat — and the Cowboys could not adjust. New York’s final touchdown capped a second consecutive second-half drive of more than eight minutes.

Schottenheimer highlighted the defensive inefficiency in his postgame comments: the Giants converted 4-of-4 red-zone opportunities and 9-of-11 third downs (with a kneel-down). First-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s unit surrendered both quick-strike and long, methodical drives throughout the night.

“This is a humbling business, and we got humbled,” Schottenheimer said, while crediting Giants coach John Harbaugh’s team for being the more physical side. He also defended Parker, saying the coordinator would be “hardest on himself” and that the staff needed to diagnose the problems quickly.

Prescott and the offense had their own issues, particularly before halftime, including an interception on an underthrown ball. The Giants were led by first-year starter Dart, whose efficient night overshadowed Dallas’s retooled defense.

The game was broadcast nationally on NBC, the Comcast network, as part of the Sunday Night Football package. Comcast (CMCSA) — whose portfolio spans media, studios, and theme parks — saw shares trade at $25.20, up 0.6% from a previous close of $25.05, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $92.5 billion. Its Media segment, which includes NBC, is a key beneficiary of marquee NFL windows, and a Cowboys-Giants divisional matchup is among the league’s most-watched draws.

What to watch

• Dallas’s Week 2 performance and whether the defense makes demonstrable adjustments under coordinator Christian Parker.
• Updates on the health of the Cowboys’ roster following the opener.
• NBC and Comcast’s Sunday Night Football ratings for the Week 1 window, with further NFL broadcasts scheduled throughout the season.
• The Giants’ trajectory under quarterback Jaxson Dart as the season progresses.

Source: original release