 The Giants had their first test in the opening week Monday Night Football game against the defending Eastern Division champion Dallas Cowboys . Playing in front of 59 @,@ 804 fans at Texas Stadium , the Giants lost the opener , 31 – 28 . The teams played fairly evenly statistically ; the Giants totalled 416 yards to the Cowboys ' 392 . Highlights of the game included Cowboys running back Herschel Walker , in his first NFL game , rushing 10 times for 64 yards and the game @-@ winning touchdown , and fellow running back Tony Dorsett scoring on a 36 @-@ yard screen pass on the game 's opening drive . The Giants struggled at the start of the game ; they failed to get a first down on their first three drives , but their offense came alive and scored 28 points in the final three quarters . 
