The NFL Draft has come and gone, and there is nothing really left to do except for giving the 2026 season your full undivided attention. For the New York Giants, they have been labeled as a contender for next season, which seems to be a perfect description for the new-look team.
There is another team in the NFC East that has been labeled as a contender, and it is honestly laughable. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, who put the G-Men as a team to buy into, also slapped that contender tag on the Dallas Cowboys.
It feels like the Cowboys get labeled contenders every single year
Much like the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, the Cowboys have to be put into that category of annual winners. Every passing season holds the same mantra that they are contenders, even though the team might not actually be at that standard. Giants fans have been there, done that.
America’s Team held a record of 7-9-1 in 2025, and it was due in large part to their defense. They allowed a franchise-record 511 points, and when looking at the top three most points allowed in a season in franchise history, all of them have happened since the 2020s began.
The Giants and Cowboys met in their annual two-game series last season in Weeks 2 and 18. It was a barnburner in the first meeting between the two teams, with the Cowboys getting the upper hand in overtime, 40-37. But Big Blue had the last laugh with the Jaxson Dart-fueled offense in the season finale, winning 34-17.
Going into the 2026 season, it is plausible for both the Giants and Cowboys to be contenders. But look at the rest of the NFC East, with Philadelphia likely being a powerhouse once again. Three teams from the division can make the playoffs, leaving Washington as the odd man out, but it is still very unlikely.
The G-Men have done much more than everyone else in the division, which includes the still very questionable Cowboys, in bringing in new talent to erase the pains of the old. This is where the G-Men will separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
With how much Big Blue has changed their personnel, both on the field and on the sideline, it seems like Jerry Jones and the Cowboys did not do nearly enough to keep up. A few upgrades were made to that franchise-worst defensive unit, but is it enough? Can Dak Prescott, who has had a messy and public offseason in his personal life, be able to block out the drama?
Right now, this feels like another case of giving America’s Team the benefit of the doubt simply because of the logo on the helmet. For Giants fans, it's different script, same movie.
Add us as a preferred source on Google