New York Giants Vs Dallas Cowboys
Time: September 13th , 8:30 ET
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Line: Dallas Cowboys (-6)
Training camp, preseason and roster cuts are now in the rear view mirror and it's time to play games that count. The New York Giants will begin their quest for a 5th Lombardi trophy against the reigning champions of the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys. This opening game presents the Giants with an opportunity to show their division, as well as the rest of the NFL, that their back-to-back losing seasons are far behind them and they are ready to again contend for the Super Bowl.
Injury Report:
Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (neck), defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (hamstring), and defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (foot) are probable. Meanwhile, star receiver Victor Cruz as well as defensive captain Jon Beason have both been ruled out for Sunday night's matchup. Cruz, who missed the last 10 games of 2014 with a torn patella tendon, has recently been hampered by a calf injury that caused him to miss the entire 2015 preseason as well. As for Beason, he suffered a knee injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the preseason and has not yet returned to game action.
Matchups to Watch:
Odell Beckham Jr. vs Cowboys secondary
Odell Beckham’s coming-out party in his rookie year took place in a nationally televised game against the Cowboys in November of last season. His breathtaking one-handed touchdown catch over Cowboys corner back Brandon Carr sent the waves through the NFL and helped him in his historic rookie year in which he took home rookie of the year honors.
Cowboys corner Orlando Scandrick will not be available to defend Beckham as his season was cut short due to a torn ACL. Scandrick covered Beckham for part of that game and did a decent job. Last year in two games against Dallas, Beckham torched them combining for 14 catches for 180 yards and 4 touchdowns
If the Cowboys defensive backs are able to contain Beckham, they will give their very talented defensive line a chance to wreak havoc on Giants QB Eli Manning.
Offensive tackle Ereck Flowers - Randy Gregory
This matchup features rookie on rookie. Randy Gregory has had a successful transition to the NFL racking up 3 sacks in the preseason. His first test will be against fellow rookie and Giants first round pick, Ereck Flowers.
In their last year of college, Flowers at Miami and Gregory at Nebraska, these two faced off, with Flowers having probably his best game as a senior. If Flowers can duplicate his success, it should help to give Eli Manning plenty of time in the pocket.
Other Notes:
Brad Wing makes debut as Giants punter- This will be Brad Wing's first game in a Giants uniform after spending his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rookies hope to make an impact- Some of the rookies most likely to make an impact are safety Landon Collins and defensive lineman Owa Odighizuwa.
Manning approaches milestone- With one more win, Eli Manning will earn his 100th win as quarterback of the New York Giants. He has won 91 regular season games and 8 in the playoffs, including two in the Super Bowl.
Prediction:
This game should be a classic Giants and Cowboys matchup, High scoring, high intensity and lots of energy. The game is bound to be high scoring due to the lack of experience in both teams secondaries. While many people have listed the Giants as huge underdogs against the heavily favored Cowboys, the Giants should be able to steal a road victory due to the lack of playmaking ability on this Cowboys defense. Eli Manning will torch the Dallas secondary, with Odell Beckham catching at least two touchdowns.
Giants 38, Cowboys 35
