Giants $141M star has weird take on Week 1 matchup vs Cowboys

The last time the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants squared off in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football, America’s Team demolished their NFC East rivals, 40-0. That game was a much-anticipated matchup that opened the 2023 season, featuring two teams coming off playoff appearances the year prior. Instead of intrigue, there was only embarrassment for one of the NFL’s great franchises.

One current Giants player is determined to not allow that to happen again. Star pass rusher Brian Burns took aim at the Cowboys and vowed redemption this time around.

Brian Burns on the Cowboys:

“40-0, you know we're gonna hear a lot about that leading up to this one. Damn sure I'm gonna want to redeem it this time around.”

Revenge time. 😈 pic.twitter.com/HEOlh6lle3— SleeperGiants (@SleeperGiants) May 12, 2026

However, in an odd twist, Burns is seeking retribution for a game that he wasn’t a part of. Burns wasn’t on the Giants in 2023, he played for the Carolina Panthers that season, who were busy losing to the Atlanta Falcons that day. Yet Burns is talking about the loss to Dallas as if he experienced it firsthand. He didn't join the Giants on Burns' mammoth, $141 million contract until he was traded to New York in the offseason.

It’s perfectly natural to want revenge against a team that continues to steal your lunch money. That loss might still sting for the Giants, who haven’t recovered, going 13-38 in the last three seasons combined. Big things were expected from the Giants in 2023 after they had won their first playoff game in 11 years the prior season. Brian Daboll was the NFL Coach of the Year in 2022, and Daniel Jones had finally arrived, playing his best football and earning a new $160 million contract. And in just one game, the Cowboys crushed their spirit.

Additionally, Dak Prescott hasn’t lost a legitimate game he’s started against the Giants since his rookie campaign. The Cowboys and Prescott have dominated the Giants in the last nine years, and Burns has been part of that for the last two seasons, winning just one of the four meetings between the teams.

Burns might be speaking for the entire Giants organization, but hardly anyone who will be playing in the 2026 opener was involved in that 2023 blowout. New York has a new hope at quarterback in Jaxson Dart, a new running back tandem, and a new star wide receiver, although Malik Nabers might not be ready to play. 

Gone are the best defensive players the Giants had in that contest, no more Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Bobby Okereke or Xavier McKinney. The only significant contributor on that defense who will be playing this year is pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Most importantly, Daboll is out and John Harbaugh is in as the head coach of the Giants. Harbaugh is considered one of the better coaches in the league; winning a Super Bowl brings that type of credibility and Harbaugh's teams are rarely blown out.

Much has changed on the Cowboys as well, but they aren’t the group looking for revenge. And they’re still led by Prescott and his 14-3 record against the Giants. 

Another season, another opportunity for the Giants to end their embarrassing stretch against the Cowboys. Maybe this time the “bum ass Giants” can turn the corner. 

Don’t expect the Cowboys to oblige.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Giants edge Brian Burns seeks revenge on Cowboys in Week 1 matchup