Sunday | 8:20 ET
Would it even be the NFL if the Cowboys didn’t play in primetime week 1? Dallas heads into the season with arguably the strongest roster in the league. They have Super Bowl aspirations. However, these hopes depend on the play of quarterback Dak Prescott, who is coming off of the worst season of his career. As long as he avoids throwing 15 interceptions again, the Cowboys are true contenders. Week 1 against Big Blue will be a nice test for Prescott. The Giants are looking to build off of their Wild Card-round playoff victory in 2022. There is plenty of optimism surrounding the team, and the development of Daniel Jones is something to watch for. They’ve been given a golden opportunity to grab a massive victory at home to start off the season.
On paper, the Cowboys are a tough matchup for the Giants. The Cowboys’ phenomenal offensive line will likely pave the way to a strong performance from Tony Pollard against what was the 28th ranked run defense unit last season. New York is hoping that the offseason addition of Bobby Okereke can help with this. The Giants played the highest amount of cover 0 in the NFL last year, which should cause the Cowboys to scheme up many deep passes in hopes of catching New York with no deep safeties. Watch for CeeDee Lamb to have field day against Wink Martindale’s man-heavy scheme. Lamb had the second highest PFF receiving grade vs. man coverage last season.
On the other side of the ball, the Giants need OC Brian Daboll to call a nearly perfect game against the Cowboys’ outstanding defense. Led by Micah Parsons, the unit has a top-2 pass rush, combined with a secondary that is almost entire consisting of household names. Saquon Barkley needs to produce for the Giants to have a chance. Expect to see Daniel Jones throw a high amount of bootlegs, as well as use his legs more than usual. For the Giants to win, Jones needs to have a fantastic game.