Jerry Jones, Dak Prescott and Brian Schottenheimer had the worst possible start to the NFL season as the New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 in the opener. The trio entered the 2026 NFL campaign with the dream of winning the Super Bowl, but a start like this did little to inspire confidence. The Cowboys ended the 2025 season with a disappointing 7-9-1 record and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The offense, led by Prescott and featuring George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, was the star of the show, scoring 471 points over the course of the 2025 season, the seventh-highest total in the NFL. On the other hand, the defense collapsed, allowing 511 points during the season, the most in the NFL.
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However, the first game of the season exposed flaws on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys’ defense struggled to get off the field, allowing the Giants to convert 9-of-10 third-down opportunities. The untimely penalties also didn’t help their cause.
The offense, which was one of the NFL’s most productive units in 2025, failed to find any sort of rhythm. Prescott, Lamb and Pickens were all largely held in check for the majority of the game. Prescott faced pressure throughout the game, finishing with 175 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
While Lamb also struggled, the biggest surprise of the lot was Pickens, who recorded two costly drops in the first half. All in all, it was a day to forget for Jones, who has been under renewed scrutiny ever since the loss.
Terrell Owens, while criticizing Jones, made a blunt request to the Cowboys owner. The NFL legend said, “He needs to relinquish some of the control that he has with the team and allow some other people to step in place.”
“At the end of the day, he’s not worried about wins and losses. Fans out there, it’s not about wins and losses for him. It’s about the bottom line and the bottom dollar. As long as you guys keep buying Dallas Cowboy merch, he’s raking in dollars,” he added.
The Cowboys need to step up against the Washington Commanders in their Week 2 clash, with Jones already facing backlash following the loss to the Giants.
