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Cowboys Kick Off Season vs Giants; Harbaugh Debuts

5/12/2026

Summary

Cowboys Kickoff

Dallas opens the 2026 season on Sun, Sept. 13 at 7:20 p.m. ET vs. Giants at MetLife Stadium, NJ, on NBC.
John Harbaugh debuts as Giants rookie head coach.
Brian Schottenheimer seeks improvement in his second year as Cowboys coach.
Dallas leads the series 78-48-2 and has won 11 of the last 12 openers.
The Cowboys will travel to Rio de Janeiro for a Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Summary

Cowboys Host Thanksgiving

The Dallas Cowboys will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 26 for Thanksgiving, their first Eagles opponent since 2014.
CBS’s Thanksgiving broadcast last year attracted 57.23 million viewers, the highest regular-season audience ever.
Dallas has won its last four Thanksgiving games, including a 31-28 victory over Kansas City last season.
This marks the second straight season that Philadelphia receives the Thanksgiving spotlight after hosting the Black Friday game last year.

Summary

Cowboys vs Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys aim to rebound after a 7-9-1 2025 season that paired an offense with the worst defense, costing them a playoff miss.
Dallas has won four Thanksgiving games and will face the Philadelphia Eagles, a game that could sway NFC East standings.
The New York Giants drafted Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa in the first round to lift a squad that went 4-13 2025.

Summary

Seahawks Kickoff

The NFL will open 2026 on Wednesday, Sept 9, with the Seattle Seahawks versus an opponent, as part of a schedule with nine international games across four continents.
The league has scheduled the Rams-49ers game in Melbourne on Sept 11 and the Ravens-Cowboys game in Rio on Sept 27, the NFL’s first regular-season contests in Australia and Brazil, and has pledged at least three Rio games over the next five years.

History

Historical Context

On Oct 2 2005 the NFL staged its first regular-season game abroad, when the Arizona Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers before a record 103,467 fans at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue’s push led to annual International Series games from 2007 onward. That precedent underpins the Cowboys’ 2026 schedule, which adds a Rio de Janeiro matchup.

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Cowboys Kickoff

Dallas opens the 2026 season on Sun, Sept. 13 at 7:20 p.m. ET vs. Giants at MetLife Stadium, NJ, on NBC.
John Harbaugh debuts as Giants rookie head coach.
Brian Schottenheimer seeks improvement in his second year as Cowboys coach.
Dallas leads the series 78-48-2 and has won 11 of the last 12 openers.
The Cowboys will travel to Rio de Janeiro for a Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

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