We now have confirmation on how the Dallas Cowboys are going to kick off their 2026 season. Their year starts on primetime. They're set to face the New York Giants on the bright lights of Sunday Night Football on Sept. 13, which seems like the perfect way to start the John Harbaugh era in New York.
Not only is Dak Prescott a certified Giants killer, but the Cowboys are used to this matchup (which they dominate), going 11-1 in their last 12 Week 1 games against their NFC East foes. But more important than that, an early clash with Big Blue should find a way to help out the Cowboys on the injury front.
Since Dallas has their rivals in Week 1, there's a real shot the Giants are missing their most important offensive player. And I'm not referring to Jaxson Dart. Malik Nabers is not guaranteed to be ready to return in Week 1, and if he's not good to go, that's even better news for Brian Schottenheimer's squad.
The Dallas Cowboys could face a Malik Nabers-less Giants team in Week 1
The star receiver tore his ACL in Week 4 of the 2025 season, when the Giants upset the Los Angeles Chargers in Dart's debut. The rehab process for an ACL tear typically takes 6-to-9 months, and since this injury happened in late September, Week 1 would be almost a year post-injury.
On paper, he should easily be back in time for Week 1, but reconstructive knee injuries are a slippery slope. New York doesn't want to repeat the Odell Beckham Jr. story with the 22-year-old, so they're in no rush to get him back on the field -- even if that means he misses the first few games of 2026.
In the event that the LSU product is unable to suit up on Sunday Night Football, it'll make Dart's life a lot more difficult. New York's top receivers would be Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin, Malachi Fields, and Darius Slayton, plus the tight end duo of Theo Johnson and Isaiah Likely. That is beyond mid.
It seems like Nabers is ahead of schedule in his ACL recovery and is trending in the right direction for Week 1. He's already been working out, and videos surfaced of him dancing with Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Brian Burns at Ciara's birthday party just weeks after the injury happened.
And that was before he had surgery. The Giants have not been able to guarantee his Week 1 availability, and since we won't have more information until training camp, the revamped Cowboys' secondary could face a Nabers-less Giants' offense in Week 1, which would basically guarantee a W.
And the last time they beat Dallas came with a huge asterisk.
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