NFL schedule 2026: Giants to host Dallas Cowboys on SNF in season opener

John Harbaugh at rookie minicamp. | John Jones-Imagn Images The New York Giants will open the John Harbaugh era with a Sunday Night Football home game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13.

The game will kick off at 8:20 p. m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

The Giants and Cowboys last faced each other in a season opener in 2023, a Sunday night game at MetLife Stadium won by the Cowboys 40-0. That was the year after the Giants made the playoffs, and more or less crushed optimism that had been surrounding the team. This will mark the eighth time in 15 seasons the two teams have met in a season-opening game.

With the highly-successful Harbaugh now leading the Giants, the Optimism Train is once again full speed ahead for the Giants and their fans. Could this opener give us an indication as to whether that optimism is justified? Schedule leaks will, of course, continue to dribble out between now and the official release on Thursday night.