Eli Manning is looking for a bit of offensive momentum in the New York Giants season opener on Sunday night. (Getty)
Will Jason Pierre Paul play? Will Victor Cruz? Are there players in the New York Giants secondary that haven’t torn their ACL yet?
The Giants hope to have answers to all of those questions, as well as some kind of offensive sparkplug, ahead of their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. The Cowboys come into the opener riding a four-game win streak over Big Blue and boast a healthy roster; something New York hasn’t had since week one of the preseason. Kickoff for the prime-time matchup is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know about the betting information, per OddsShark.com, as well as a prediction:
Game Info
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who saw limited preseason action, leads a healthy squad into its season opener on Sunday night. (Getty)
Line: Dallas (-5)
Moneyline: New York (+210), Dallas (-230)
Over/Under: 50
What To Watch For
Injuries have been the name of the preseason game for the New York Giants. Here Justin Currie is carted off the field after being injured against the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Getty)
There were preseason injuries across the league this summer. Then, there was the New York Giants. No team seemed more injured or more ACL-torn than Big Blue, whose secondary is now a patchwork mix of veterans, Prince Amukamara, and rumors of possibly trying to sign Kam Chancellor.
The Giants won’t sign Kam Chancellor.
Instead, New York’s secondary will work with what it has during the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on the road. This, of course, is not ideal. The Cowboys are, for the most part, a healthy group thanks in large part to the minimal play of Tony Romo during the preseason. Dez Bryant didn’t even get on the field during those first four non-games.
The key for the Giants will be to get pressure up front. Dallas has been adamant about using its running back corps as a replacement for DeMarco Murray this season and New York is going to have to shut them down at the line. There’s not too many players beyond that line. That means the Cowboys offensive line, which was a mish-mash of names during the preseason, is going to have to stand tall on Sunday night.