Dallas gets defensive in dominating win over the Giants

The Cowboys opened the season with a dominating 40-0 victory over the Giants on a rainy Sunday night. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Dallas in season-opening games.

Dallas’ defense set the tone early, taking the Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones out of the game and never letting New York’s offense get going after the first drive.

After New York had driven deep into Cowboys’ territory a bad snap ended the Giants drive.

Settling for a 46-yard field goal attempt by Graham Gano, the kick was blocked by Juanyeh Thomas. Noah Igbinoghene returned the block 58 yards for the first score of the game.

And, of course, Brandon Aubrey pushed the extra-point attempt wide left. It was about the only thing that went wrong for the Cowboys all night.

After a Giants’ three-and-out – with Micah Parsons collecting the first of Dallas’ seven sacks – Aubrey hit a short field goal for a 9-0 lead.

Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, DaRon Bland collected a deflected pass by Jones and returned it 22 yards for a 16-0 Dallas lead.

The Cowboys added another Aubrey field goal and a two-yard run by Tony Pollard for a 26-0 halftime lead.

Pollard added a touchdown in the third quarter to extend the advantage to 33-0. KaVontae Turpin added some salt to the Giants’ wounds with a seven-yard run for a 40-0 lead.

Dak Prescott finished 13-for-24 for 143 yards. Pollard had 14 carries for 70 yards and two touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb led the receivers with four catches for 70 yards.

Jones was held to 15-for-28 and 104 yards with two interceptions. Saquon Barkley was held in check with 12 carries for 51 yards.

Streak Busters

The last time the Cowboys had won the first game of the year was in 2019, a 35-17 home win over the Giants.

It was the first road win in a season opener since a 24-17 win in 2012 over the Giants fueled by three Tony Romo touchdown passes.

Sunday’s win was the first time that Mike McCarthy started a season in Dallas with a win. The Cowboys are now 40-23-1 (.633) all-time in season openers.

Giant Killers

Dallas is now 74-47-2 overall against New York. They have won the last five meetings and 12 of last 13. In games played at New York, the Cowboys are 34-26-1, winning the last three and six of the last seven.

The victory moved Dallas to 11-1 overall against the Giants when the teams have met to open the season. Their first opening week meeting was in 1965.

It is also the third time Dallas has shut out the Giants. The Cowboys blanked the Giants 27-0 in 1996 and again in 1995, 35-0.

The Giants have only shut out Dallas once, a 15-0 win in 1994.

Next Week’s Opponent

The Cowboys will be at home next week to face old nemesis, Aaron Rodgers, and the New York Jets. Kickoff for the Sunday game is set for 3:25 p.m. (CDT).

The Cowboys are just 2-9 against Rodgers as a starter in Green Bay. This will be his first game against Dallas with his new team.

Dallas is 7-5 overall against the Jets but only 2-2 when playing at home. New York won the last time the teams met at AT&T Stadium, a 19-16 win in 2015.

The Jets have won the last three meetings over the Cowboys. The last time Dallas defeated New York was a 34-3 win in 2007 at Texas Stadium.