The Dallas Cowboys began the season with a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night. Dak Prescott completed 22 of 34 passes for 175 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but Dallas struggled to create enough chances late in the game.

The Giants controlled much of the second half behind quarterback Jaxson Dart, who finished 23-of-29 for 230 yards and three touchdowns. New York also recorded 394 total yards and converted nine of its 10 third-down attempts.

“I thought we offensively responded very well. We just didn't get enough opportunities there late, but certainly did not come out of the game very fast on either side,” Brian Schottenheimer said September 14.

Dallas also gave away 90 yards through nine penalties. The most costly came after Javonte Williams scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. His taunting penalty pushed Brandon Aubrey’s extra point farther back, and the kick was missed.

“He was trying to throw it away and didn't get enough on it, and that happens, but it was a big momentum swing,” Brian Schottenheimer told reporters postgame on September 14.

Prescott later pointed to his interception before halftime as one of the game’s biggest turning points.

Meanwhile, Dallas’ defense continued to struggle despite the arrival of new coordinator Christian Parker and several offseason additions.

“They went down, scored, then they got the ball in the second half, and they scored. That's unfortunately what we call a double dip, and they double-dipped us,” Schottenheimer added.

The Cowboys allowed two long touchdown drives in the second half before New York used the final 5:21 to close out the win.

While Schottenheimer focused on the missed opportunities, Prescott offered his own view of what went wrong for Dallas against New York.

Did Dak Prescott see the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss coming?

The Week 1 loss also brought back two very different memories for Dak Prescott. His first NFL start came against the Giants in 2016, when Dallas lost 20-19.

The Cowboys responded by winning 11 straight games and finishing 13-3.

“I think it was self-inflicted for the most part. The interception, the dropped balls, and they did a good job of stopping the run,” Dak Prescott said postgame, according to Roundtable.

In 2023, Dallas opened the season with a 40-0 win over New York, then finished 12-5 and won the NFC East.

The current Cowboys now have their own response to build, starting with next week’s home game against Washington.

With Washington coming to town next week, Prescott and the Cowboys now have a chance to show whether Sunday’s loss was simply a poor start or the beginning of a bigger problem.

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit