It is officially NFL schedule release week.
On Thursday, fans will finally learn every NFL team’s full 18-week regular season schedule.
However, the league has already started unveiling some of the season’s biggest matchups ahead of the official release.
The NFL previously announced that the 49ers and Rams will meet in the league’s historic first-ever game in Australia to open their season.
Additionally, the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys are set to face off in the NFL’s inaugural game in Rio de Janeiro in Week 3.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
Now, the league has officially revealed another marquee matchup: the Week 1 Sunday Night Football opener between two of the NFL’s most historic franchises, the Cowboys and New York Giants.
With the announcement now official, opening odds for the game have already been posted by DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 11.
Dak Prescott and Jaxson Dart are set to square off in the 2026 NFL season’s Week 1 Sunday Night Football matchup.
Cowboys @ Giants (Week 1)
Spread
Cowboys -1.5: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)
Giants +1.5: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)
Moneyline
Cowboys: -130 (bet $10 to win $17.69 total)
Giants: +110 (bet $10 to win $21 total)
Total
O 47.5: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)
U 47.5: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)
The spotlight for this matchup immediately falls on John Harbaugh, who will make his Giants debut in primetime against one of the franchise’s biggest rivals.
The longtime Ravens head coach was hired by New York in January after spending 18 seasons in Baltimore and now takes over a Giants team looking to turn the page after back-to-back last place finishes in the NFC East and just seven total wins over the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, Dallas enters 2026 with major changes of its own.
After allowing an NFL worst 30.1 points per game last season while also ranking last in pass defense and 30th in total defense, the Cowboys completely revamped that side of the ball by hiring former Philadelphia Eagles assistant Christian Parker as defensive coordinator. Dallas also made several key offseason additions, including using its first-round pick on star safety Caleb Downs.
Both teams are expected to take significant steps forward in 2026, with the Cowboys’ season win total set at 9.5 and the Giants’ at 7.5.
This matchup will mark the eighth time since 2012 that the NFC East rivals have met in a season opener. The Cowboys have dominated those games, winning six of the past seven Week 1 matchups against the Giants.
The question now becomes whether John Harbaugh can change that narrative and start his Giants tenure with a statement win.
Bettors will have the entire summer to think about it.
