05/11/26 04:58:00
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05/11 16:57 CDT 2026 NFL schedule: Cowboys at Giants on Week 1 Sunday night,
host Eagles on Thanksgiving
2026 NFL schedule: Cowboys at Giants on Week 1 Sunday night, host Eagles on
Thanksgiving
NEW YORK (AP) --- The Dallas Cowboys remain a popular draw for the NFL and its
television partners despite struggling the past couple of seasons.
The league announced on Monday that the Cowboys will visit the New York Giants
in the first NBC "Sunday Night Football" game of the season on Sept. 13 and
they will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Fox on Thanksgiving Day Nov. 26.
The full schedule will be released on Thursday with other matchups revealed in
the coming days.
This is the eighth time in the past 15 years the Cowboys and Giants are opening
the season against each other. It also marks the 15th time the NFC East rivals
are meeting on NBC's Sunday night package, the second-most played matchup since
the network started the package in 2016.
Dallas is always a national television draw as "America's Team," and New York
could get more primetime exposure with Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh in his
first year coaching the Giants and Jaxson Dart established as the franchise
quarterback coming off his eventful rookie year.
This also could be the NFL debuts for a pair of former Ohio State teammates:
Giants linebacker Arvell Reese, taken with the fifth pick, and Cowboys safety
Caleb Downs, drafted not long after at No. 11.
This will only be the third time, and first since 2014, that the Eagles will be
the Cowboys' Thanksgiving opponent.
Dallas has won its past four Thanksgiving games, including a 31-28 victory over
the Kansas City Chiefs last year.
The late afternoon Thanksgiving game is traditionally the most viewed of the
regular season. Last year's game averaged 57.23 million viewers on CBS, making
it the most-watched regular-season game in league history.
This will be the second straight season Philadelphia will have the spotlight on
Thanksgiving week. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles hosted last year's Black Friday
game and lost to the Chicago Bears 24-15.
Monday's announcements mean the Cowboys know the dates for three of their 17
games. It was announced a couple of weeks ago their game in Rio de Janeiro
against the Baltimore Ravens will take place in Week 3 on Sept. 27 and air on
CBS.
Dallas at New York in Week 1 also means neither of those teams will be the
visitor at Seattle on Wednesday night, Sept. 9, when the defending champion
Seahawks unveil their Super Bowl banner and kick off the season. Chicago,
Arizona, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers or a title-game rematch against
New England are the remaining possibilities.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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