The Cowboys' season opener against the Giants couldn't have gone any better as Dallas beat down New York 40-0 on Sunday night.
Just when it appeared as if the G-Men were going to march their way all the way down the field for an opening score via the rushing attack, the Cowboys defense held up to force a field goal attempt.
What came next for the home team was the beginning of a complete dismantling at the hands of America's Team.
Giants kicker Graham Gano's 45-yarder was blocked by Cowboys rookie safety Juanyeh Thomas, who got the start in place of Donovan Wilson, who was inactive on Sunday night with a calf injury. The ball was scooped up by reserve cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, who returned it 58 yards the other way for a score.
While the celebration ensued, Cowboys rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey shanked his first career extra point attempt, giving Cowboys' fans nightmares from when former kicker Brett Maher missed five extra points in two playoff games last season.
Aubrey would go on to make his first career field goal attempt following a Giants' 3 and out, a 21-yard yard chip shot to give Dallas a 9-0 lead. He would later knock through a 38-yard field goal and four extra points, giving fans a reason to kick the kicker woes can down the road for another week.
On the Giants' ensuing drive, quarterback Daniel Jones threw a pass to running back Saquon Barkley, who was immediately truck-sticked by Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs, causing the ball to pop up in the air. Cornerback DaRon Bland came down with the ball and returned it 22 yards to the end zone for a pick-six.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Cowboys became the third team in NFL history to record a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the first quarter of the season, joining the 1986 Bears and 1967 Bears.
The Cowboys' first-half fun didn't stop there as cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepted Jones to give him his first takeaway as a Cowboy and 30th interception of his career.
The Cowboys' offense got in on the act a short time later when Tony Pollard punched in his first score of the season from two yards out, giving Dallas a commanding 26-0 lead, which they would take into halftime.
The second half included more of the same as Dallas scored two more touchdowns on runs by Tony Pollard and KaVontae Turpin. The Cowboys' defense added another turnover when Diggs stripped Giants receiver Isiah Rodgers after a 24 yard catch and run in the fourth quarter.
The three turnovers and seven Cowboys sacks were the highest totals a Dallas defense has achieved in a game since Week 6 in 1992, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
More history:
Dallas became the 5th team in NFL history to open the season with a shutout of 40 or more points on the road. The last team to do it was the Steelers in 1999. The 40-point win was the second-largest season-opening win in team history behind Dallas' 59-13 win over Detroit in 1968, according to Cowboys PR.
As Babe Laufenberg pointed out, Dak Prescott has now won 11 straight games against the Giants. The last quarterback to do that in NFL history? Roger Staubach.