Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys walked into the 2026 season with plenty of confidence, and that confidence took a hit fast in a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants. Dak Prescott could never quite find his rhythm, finishing 22-of-34 passing for 175 yards, and Dallas spent much of the night getting pushed around by John Harbaugh’s team.
The bigger issue might be what the defense gave up. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart found receivers running open all night, and it looked a lot like the unit that allowed the most points in the NFL last season.
That number is exactly why Jones got the question he did on Tuesday morning. Dallas had its best chance to seize control late in the first half with the score tied at 7-7. Prescott tried to throw the ball away under pressure near the sideline, but it fell short.
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Giants safety Jevon Holland slid to make the interception while staying in bounds, and the turnover changed everything. “That was the game right there,” Prescott admitted after the loss.
But the interception wasn’t the only thing on Jones’ mind Tuesday morning. Asked if the defense looked too much like last year’s group, the Cowboys owner reached back nearly four decades for comparison.
Jones bought the Cowboys in February 1989 and gutted the organization almost immediately, firing Tom Landry and bringing in Jimmy Johnson. The fallout was Dallas’ worst season in franchise history, a 1-15 finish. It’s not a stretch he’d reach for lightly, especially with a roster this season built to win now.
“The last time that I was involved in as much change as we have made this year, the very last time that I had that experience was the first year I bought the Dallas Cowboys, and we won one game,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan radio.
He also sounded frustrated by the communication breakdowns he saw from the defense on Sunday night, and admitted the group hadn’t been tested in a real game situation before Week 1.
“We’re very optimistic that we can play better than what we played now, right now, than we played there Sunday night,” Jones added. “So, we will be right back on the field. We frankly, as you well know, in training camp, and in the preseason games, we really didn’t test out in a game type situation, a real combination of all of our, if you put the offense defense, special teams out there. This game was very much in the air as to what we would have if (things) worked out there.”
The Cowboys will host the Washington Commanders next Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. ET.
