Cowboys have winning record all-time in season openers

The Cowboys will take the field tonight to open their 64th NFL season in New York. Coming into the game, Dallas is 39-23-1 (.626) all-time in season openers.

They will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak in season openers.

The last opening week win by Dallas came in 2019 at home against the Giants, 35-17.

Tight end Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of the game against New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Current Head Coach Mike McCarthy has yet to win the first game of the year since joining Dallas in 2020.

Dallas lost 20-17 to the Rams in Los Angeles in 2020.

The Cowboys have lost the last two years’ openers to the Buccaneers. A 31-29 loss at Tampa in 2021 was followed by a 19-3 loss at home last year.

The last time Dallas opened a season with a win on the road came in 2012.

They beat the Giants 24-17 behind three Tony Romo touchdown passes.

A Familiar Opening Foe

If you’re thinking the Cowboys have played the Giants to start the season an awfully lot, you’d be right.

The Cowboys will face the Giants on opening day for the 12th time in 64 seasons tonight. That is the most they’ve played any team on opening week.

Dallas has a 10-1 record overall over the Giants when the teams play the first week.

Dallas is 6-1 at home, losing in 2016, and 4-0 at New York on opening night.

The two teams have met seven times in the last 12 season-opening weeks.

Dallas won the last meeting between the clubs to start a season in 2019.

The 2016 loss had snapped a nine-game winning streak on opening day over the Giants that dated all the way back to the first opening-day meeting in 1965.

The Cowboys and Redskins played to a 35-35 tie at the Cotton Bowl to open the season on Sept. 16, 1962.

By The Numbers

Dallas is 18-11-1 (.617) at home in season openers. The lone tie came in 1962 against the Redskins.

They have played three more season openers away from Dallas than they have at home.

That number will increase to four after tonight. On the road, Dallas is 21-12 (.636) to begin the season.

The Cowboys played at home to start their first seven seasons in the NFL.

They went 3-3-1 during that stretch.

The Cowboys won their last two, both against the Giants, before playing their first season opener on the road in 1967. They beat the Browns in Cleveland to start that season.

The longest streak of consecutive season-openers on the road came between 1993-1997.

Dallas went 3-2 during that stretch.

The most impressive streak for the Cowboys in relation to season-opening game is the run they went on between 1965 and 1981.

For 17 consecutive years, under head coach Tom Landry, the Cowboys started the season 1-0.

Of the 17 straight season-opening victories, eight came at Texas Stadium, the remaining nine on the road.

Dallas made the playoffs in 15 of those seasons with 1965 and 1974 being the only exceptions.

Maybe Next Year

Despite playing their 64th season this year, the Cowboys have faced only 21 of the other 31 teams at least once on opening day.

As mentioned above, tonight’s game will be the 12th meeting with the Giants to start a season.

Washington is a close second at nine.

Dallas is 6-2-1 all-time against the Redskins/Football Team/Commanders. Washington has the last laugh, beating Dallas to start the 2010 season.

The St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals and the Eagles are tied for third, having played Dallas six times each to start an NFL season.

Of the 21 teams Dallas has faced, six are 1-0 against the Cowboys.

Dallas has beaten five teams on opening day and never lost to them.

ALL-TIME OPENING DAY RECORD VS. OPPONENTS

(Listed in order of number of games played)

New York Giants 10-1

Washington Commanders 6-2-1

St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals 3-3

Pittsburgh Steelers 3-3

Philadelphia Eagles 3-1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-3

Cleveland Browns 3-0

Los Angeles Rams 2-1

San Diego Chargers 2-0

Atlanta Falcons 1-1

Chicago Bears 1-1

Minnesota Vikings 1-1

Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts 1-0

Buffalo Bills 1-0

Detroit Lions 1-0

Carolina Panthers 0-1

Houston Texans 0-1

Jacksonville Jaguars 0-1

New Orleans Saints 0-1

New York Jets 0-1

San Francisco 49ers 0-1

TEAMS NOT FACED IN SEASON-OPENER

NFC:

Green Bay Packers

Seattle Seahawks

AFC:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans