The Dallas Cowboys are trying to pick up the pieces from their shattered mirror after a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.
Dallas’ biggest concern coming out of the game was its defense. They allowed 394 yards and let the Giants convert 9 of 11 third downs in the loss.
This was clearly a reality check for a team that had aspirations of making the Super Bowl at season’s end. The defensive players are the ones holding up that mirror so they can look at themselves and see how to improve.
Dallas Cowboys Self-Examining Themselves After Giants Loss
On Tuesday, Cowboys edge rusher Rashan Gary spoke with the media to talk about the aftereffects of the loss. Gary discussed what the team has done since the loss to move forward with the season.
“We’re being critical, looking at ourselves in the mirror. Starting from today, making sure we get the corrections and come in tomorrow and make it a great day.”
“We’re being critical, looking at ourselves in the mirror. Starting from today, making sure we get the corrections and come in tomorrow and make it a great day.”
Gary had a relatively quiet game in the loss, racking up 2 tackles and 1 quarterback hit. Dallas did get two sacks on Giants QB Jaxson Dart throughout the contest.
Cowboys Have Some Work to Do Before Week 2
This will be a long week for the Cowboys as they try to figure out their biggest problems. It all comes down to the team being tougher in the face of adversity.
Dallas’ defense struggled to get the Giants off the field, allowing over 36 minutes of possession. When the offense is off the field for that long, the defense gets tired and worn out.
Offensively, the Cowboys also have to look in the mirror. This was a top-five unit a season ago, and they didn’t even get 250 yards in this game.
The Cowboys need to establish the running game early and get more consistency. Dak Prescott, as good a quarterback as he is, cannot do everything by himself on offense.
Moving forward, Dallas has a critical Week 2 matchup against the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys are catching them at the right time after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-22 last week.
The Commanders also have their own struggles, as the offense failed to reach 300 yards and struggled to run the ball. Defensively, they played the Eagles pretty well, but have some gaps in their secondary.
That’s a major advantage point for the Cowboys to exploit. They have receivers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens who can have a big day through the air. The ticket to a Cowboys win is to sling the ball in the air and let the Cowboys’ defensive front take advantage of a banged-up Commanders offensive line to get the job done.
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