John Harbaugh has made it clear that the New York Giants will have their hands full when they face the Dallas Cowboys in the opening game of the 2026 NFL season. Ahead of his first regular-season game as the Giants’ head coach, Harbaugh praised Dallas as a talented and physical team while highlighting the speed and explosiveness that could make the Cowboys a major challenge on Sunday night.
Harbaugh was asked what he sees when he looks at the Cowboys as a team, and his response reflected the level of respect he has for Brian Schottenheimer and the organization. The Giants coach pointed to Dallas’ talent, toughness and speed, making it clear that he does not view the NFC East rival as an opponent New York can afford to underestimate.
The comments come as the Giants prepare for a major test at MetLife Stadium. Dallas enters the matchup with plenty of offensive firepower, and Harbaugh’s assessment suggests his team understands that containing the Cowboys’ explosive players will be one of the biggest challenges of the night.
John Harbaugh sends clear message to NY Giants about Cowboys
John Harbaugh offered nothing but praise for the Cowboys when describing what he sees from the team. “Hard to say, it’s hard to say. I mean, I have tons of respect for Coach Schottenheimer, tons of respect for the organization. They’re always, I mean, the Cowboys are the Cowboys. They’re talented, they’re tough, and you’ve seen them more than I have. We played them a few times, I’ve seen them on tape, but nothing but respect for what they do. They do it their way and they’ve got a bunch of guys, fast football team that flies around.”
Harbaugh then focused specifically on Dallas’ offensive talent while also acknowledging the changes taking place on defense. “A lot of talent on offense, they’re rebuilding their defense, they have a new defensive coordinator (Christian Parker), comes from a great system. He’s a really sharp, up-and-coming guy. So, they’re a very formidable football team, very formidable opponent.”
At the same time, Harbaugh admitted that neither team truly knows where it stands until the regular season begins. “But you don’t really know where anybody’s at yet. So, all these games get played early in the season, we’ll start to get a gauge on everybody, but tremendous respect for the Cowboys and everybody there.”
