Cris Collinsworth did not hold back in his assessment of the Dallas Cowboys' defense following their 28-20 Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. He described a particularly egregious sequence during the game as "as bad as it gets," and statistical analysis suggests the unit's performance was among the worst in recent NFL history.
During the broadcast, Collinsworth pointed to a touchdown pass from Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to Isaiah Likely, highlighting significant defensive breakdowns. "They’re going to leave this corner completely wide open against Isaiah Likely, who has been destroying them the entire half," Collinsworth stated. "I don’t know who’s blowing these coverages out here in the defensive left flat, but they had two guys chasing the wide receiver who was three yards down the field and nobody on the corner route."
The Cowboys' defensive struggles were evident throughout the game. The Giants opened their scoring with a touchdown pass from Dart to Likely with 20 seconds remaining in the first half, giving them a 14-7 lead. This score was set up by an interception of a Dak Prescott pass by Jevon Holland.
The Giants' offense sustained long drives in the second half, controlling the clock and extending their lead. One second-half touchdown drive consisted of 12 plays, covered 74 yards, and took eight minutes off the clock. Another drive involved 13 plays covering 65 yards and took over eight minutes. To seal the game, the Giants executed a 13-play, 46-yard drive that ran out the final 5:21 of regulation.
Statistically, the Cowboys' defense had a historically poor outing. According to The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia, the defense's performance in Week 1 ranked 571st out of 574 games in Expected Points Added per drive. This marks the worst defensive performance for the Cowboys in all but one game from the previous season.
Despite adding six to eight new starters to the defense in the offseason, including players like Rashan Gary and Dee Winters, the unit struggled. After allowing 6.1 yards per play last season, they surrendered 5.9 yards per play in Week 1. The loss to the Giants leaves Dallas with an 0-1 record and an early division loss to start the season.