NFL Football – Dallas vs N.Y. Preview
A brand new NFL season kicks off Wednesday night when the Dallas Cowboys and the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants square off.
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
MetLife Stadium
Wednesday September 5, 8:30 PM EST on NBC
College Football Betting Odds from Bookmaker
Moneyline: New York (-195) Dallas (+165)
College Football Spread: Giants -3.5 (-110) vs. Cowboys +3.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 45
These two NFC East teams have had countless tight games that have been decided in the final minutes over the last two years.
Expect another tight one here to start off the season in style!
Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys had their hearts broken last year by the New York Giants in the season finale. Dallas was blasted 31-14 by the Giants at MetLife Stadium in that game.
That was the game that knocked the Cowboys out of the 2012 playoffs, and you can imagine that Dallas still has a bad taste in their mouth from that loss.
Tony Romo is one of those quarterbacks who fans debate about quite often.
Some see Romo as a top-notch quarterback in the league, but others see Romo as a guy who can’t consistently take care of the ball well enough to be a big game winner. There is no doubt that DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones are a nice tailback tandem, but they are both guys who have had injury problems in the past.
Dez Bryant is a weapon if he can stay out of trouble. The offensive line is the biggest concern for the Cowboys offense.
Defensively, the linebackers are the strength of the team. DeMarcus Ware is one of the best pass rushers in the league. Dan Connor and Sean Lee give the team very solid inside backers as well.
The secondary was hit and miss in 2011, and they’ll need to be a bit better this year. The defensive front is lacking a terrific run stuffer.
Rob Ryan’s defense will be the key to how far this team goes in the year ahead.
New York
The Giants picked up another Super Bowl after barely getting into the playoffs last season. This team absolutely played its best football when it counted most, and you have to commend them for that. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
They were major underdogs against Green Bay and New England, but the Giants came through in the clutch.
Eli Manning really cemented his status as an elite quarterback last year with his play. Manning threw for nearly 5,000 yards last season, and he threw 29 touchdown passes. He has proven that he is at his best in the clutch. Ahmad Bradshaw must carry a heavier load now with Brandon Jacobs now playing for the 49ers. Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham is gone, but the Giants still have two stars in Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.
Expect these two to continue to improve in the next few seasons. The offensive line has been great at protecting Manning, but they need to improve in run blocking.
The Giants defense has always been great at getting to the quarterback. New York ranked third in the league in sacks last year. Until the end of the year, the overall defense wasn’t very good.
In fact, the Giants ranked 27th in the NFL in total defense in the regular season last year. The front four is as good as anyone in football. Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and Chris Canty are all stars on the line.
No one can match this front lines athleticism. The linebackers and secondary must step up this year.
Dallas will be fired up for this game, and I think they’ll keep it close all the way to the end. In a game that I expect to be extremely close, I’ll take the dog and the points.
Dallas Trends
DAL are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 vs. NFC.
Over is 7-2 in DAL last 9 games in Week 1.
Under is 6-2 in DAL last 8 games on fieldturf.
N.Y. Giants Trends
Over is 7-3-1 in NYG last 11 games in September.
Head to Head Trends
Over is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings in New York.
Free NFL Pick: Cowboys +3.5
