Although the Dallas Cowboys confirmed a negative injury update on star guard Tyler Smith ahead of their matchup against the New York Giants, the team is ready for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. In fact, they made that clear during their first practice of the week with an interesting song choice. Whoever was on the aux was clearly not on shuffle and instead was sending a message with his playlist.
As much as fans stress correcting people that the Giants play in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and not in New York City, the G-Men are still synonymous with the Big Apple. And whenever one thinks about the City That Never Sleeps, two songs come to mind: Frank Sinatra’s “Theme From New York, New York” and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.” But one of them provides much more fuel for the hype than the other.
“Cowboys open practice with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys ‘Empire State of Mind,’ as they get ready for Week 1 against the New York Giants,” as reported by Todd Archer of ESPN NFL Nation.
Emotional game to start the 2026 NFL season
Needless to say, the Cowboys are ready for the battle that’s set to unfold in the Meadowlands. They have put the Giants on notice as the season opener is set to be an emotional matchup between divisional foes with no love lost between them.
Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys.
The tension in the air in East Rutherford and Arlington can be cut with a knife. It was clear as cornerback Greg Newsome poked the bear with taunts aimed at George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. Even though he downplayed the idea of there being unfinished business with Pickens, fans can expect fireworks when the two meet on the gridiron again.
Recent history between Cowboys and Giants
The final scoreboard wasn’t kind to the Giants the last time they hosted the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football to start an NFL season. It was on Sept. 10, 2023, and America’s Team walked into MetLife Stadium to deliver a crushing 40-0 loss to the G-Men.
In fact, the last time New York hosted Dallas in a primetime game wasn’t too much fun either, as the Cowboys defeated the Giants 20-15 in Week 4’s Thursday Night Football game of the 2024 NFL season. It’s just the way the head-to-head record has gone in recent years between the two NFC East rivals, with the scale heavily tilted in Dallas’ favor. The Cowboys have won nine of the last 10 meetings.
Looking for a silver lining, the Giants won the last meeting in Week 18 of last season at MetLife Stadium, and they boast a completely different coaching staff as well as a revamped offense and defense. New York has arguably the best pass-rushing corps in the league, and it just learned Dallas will be missing an All-Pro staple on its offensive line. The Giants smell blood. And there will be gallons of bad blood at kickoff on Sunday night. It will be a feast for beasts when the Giants and Cowboys go toe to toe.
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