NFL Announces Week 1 Matchup for ‘Sunday Night Football'

The NFL is set to release the full 2026 schedule for all 32 teams later this week on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

As always, the schedule reveal marks one of the first major signs that the new season is approaching, and several marquee matchups are expected to leak out ahead of the official announcement. The first of those has already been revealed.

On Monday morning, the NFL announced that the opening "Sunday Night Football" matchup on NBC will feature an NFC East showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

"Cowboys vs. Giants on the first ‘Sunday Night Football' of the 2026 season," the NFL posted.

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The two teams previously faced off in the season opener on "Sunday Night Football" back in 2023, when the Cowboys dominated the Giants in a 40-0 victory.

Dating back to 2021, Dallas has largely controlled the head-to-head series, winning nine of the last 10 meetings between the division rivals. Over the past decade, the Cowboys hold a 16-4 record against New York.

However, both teams missed the postseason last year, and for the Giants, there is hope that a new era is beginning following the hiring of head coach John Harbaugh after the 2025 season.

As for the Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer will be entering his second year as head coach. While Dallas continued to field one of the league's most productive offenses last season, the defense struggled significantly, prompting the organization to make several offseason investments in hopes of improving on that side of the ball.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 10:25 AM.