Dallas Cowboys VS New York Giants Week One Preview

The Dallas Cowboys will go to battle against the New York Giants in what should be an epic clash for the ages on Sunday Night Football.

The Dallas Cowboys are heading into their first regular season contest this Sunday as they will face a bitter rival in the New York Giants. Out of the three losses the Cowboys suffered last season, two were because of the Gmen.

With second-year quarterback Dak Prescott looking to take the next step in his development, can he finally get a win against one of the more talented teams in the NFC East? The odds may actually be the Cowboys favor during this rematch according to CBSSports.

Availability:

This game will be all about availability, who can be on the field to help their respective team win. The Cowboys star running back, Ezekiel Elliott saga finally reached a breaking point and he will be allowed to play Week One.

His availability after that is unknown however Elliott being available for Week One left Cowboy fans with a sigh of relief. The same may not be said for Giants fans who could be without their most prolific offensive weapon as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr deals with an ankle injury.

The hit that caused Beckham’s injury was dirty and ill advised so it is a miracle he is even able to be considered eligible for this matchup. If Beckham is out that would leave Brandon Marshall and Roger Lewis as the primary outside receivers while Sterling Shepard starts in the slot.

It would be a huge blow to the Giants offense if OBJ could not play and that seems like a very real possibility. Even if he does suit up he could just be in as a decoy and with the Cowboys at relatively “full strength” this week (at least offensively) the Giants will need all hands on deck.

Defense:

Defensively the Cowboys are stout at stopping the run and should have very little trouble with the Giants run game. Running backs, Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen, and Orleans Darkwa will all be fighting for carries but none of them have really stood out as the lead back in preseason.

The possible absence of Odell Beckham also could allow the Cowboys to leave Shepard and Marshall in coverage allowing a safety to really clamp down on the Giants running backs.

While the Cowboys secondary is young, they don’t lack talent. Dallas has been rebuilding this secondary for a couple of seasons now and finally, they have added some potent cornerbacks.

Chidobe “Chido” Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis are some of the best players at the cornerback position in the 2017 NFL draft so it is not shocking that the Cowboys expect them to be starters.

The main issue has been they are not getting enough practice in (especially Lewis) thanks to various injuries suffered throughout the offseason. Now I am not the writer who will say that Dallas has a top tier secondary, but it has to be better than last year right?

Sure these rookies will give up a couple of big plays here and there, but at the end of the day, they could be the rock solid foundation of this defense going into the future. Safety Xavier Woods has impressed throughout the offseason and training camp, now he will look to take over the role left behind by Barry Church.

While it is likely Jeff Heath will get the first start, Woods is a very talented player and his style is very reminiscent of Church so the Cowboys defensive scheme should compliment him well.

On the other side of the ball, the New York Giants have some talented veterans in their secondary. Cornerbacks, Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will look to lock down Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant while second-year player, Eli Apple will look to improve on his rookie season.

Potentially the most dangerous player in this group is the young safety, Landon Collins who has begun to generate takeaways with his keen vision and solid ball skills. The Giants had Bryant’s number last season but something tells me that number 88 and Mr. Prescott have something to prove to the Gmen and the rest of the NFL on Sunday.

Offense:

When you look at both offensive lines, there really is not a comparison to be made. One is elite and one is dysfunctional. The Giants have struggled to build a line that can give their quarterback Eli Manning time in the pocket.

Several of their high draft picks at various offensive line positions have been busts and no continuity has really formed between those players. The Cowboys may have lost veterans Ronald Leary and Doug Free but they have three of the best O linemen in the league today.

La’El Collins getting the start will only help build his confidence as a pass protector and run blocker, and the final spot will likely be given to Chaz Green given that he could stay healthy. If Green gets injured Jonathan Cooper will likely come in for relief.

The Cowboys offensive line has to be terrific if they are going to defend against the Giants pass rush that should be reaching elite levels by now. Jason Pierre-Paul, Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon will be tough to stop as the defensive line of the Giants is easily the strongest part of their team.

Wildcards:

Who knows just how good rookie Ryan Switzer will be at returning kicks and punts? The guy was epic in college and often flipped the field for his team, can he do that in the NFL? The Cowboys return game and special teams as a whole could have a very big impact on how this contest goes.

Will Eli Manning continue to decline? He is definitely not as scary as he used to be and his accuracy has dropped to an all time low. While he does not have a player behind him really putting him on the hot seat this game will show us just how much the Giants can depend on Manning for the foreseeable future.

Can Cowboys rookie, Taco Charlton finally get some consistency going with his pass rush moves? Charlton will face a Giants line that is not nearly as tough as Tyron Smith was with him in practice and should have a solid opportunity to get his first regular season sack.