Scouting Report for Dallas Cowboys(0-0) vs. New York Giants (0-0)
September 5, 2012-MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
Cowboys: Last season should be a distant memory for the Cowboys. After finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs for the second straight season, Dallas will have a lot on the line. And how they start off against their division rivals could be a strong indication.
In the offseason, the secondary got a boost when they signed Brandon Carr (45 tackles, 15 passes defended and 4 INT with the Chiefs last season) and drafted Morris Claiborne (6th overall-LSU). And with DL Jay Ratilff (Ankle) and S Danny McCray (Neck) out, Carr and Claiborne could be tested early. Tony Romo, who is 0-2 at MetLife stadium (52-73, 631 YDS, 4 TD and 2 INT last year), will probabaly be without TE Jason Witten (lacerated spleen). Witten was the leading reciever with 79 catches for 942 yards and 5 TDS. That means TE's John Phillips and James Hanna will have to fill the void.
Giants: At this point last season, the G-Men weren't even in playoff consideration. Good thing football isn't played on paper. Despite finishing the regular season at 9-7, they won their division, won the NFC and then won their 2nd Super Bowl in 4 seasons. And the Giants don't expect anything less.
QB Eli Manning (359-589, 4933 YDS, 29 TD and 6 INT), WR Victor Cruz (82 catches, 1536 YDS and 9 TD), and RB Ahmad Bradshaw (659 carries, 3.6 ypc and 9 TD) will be there. Whether the Giants second leading receiver Hakeem Nicks (76 catches, 1192 YDS and 7 TD) will be there is another issue (questionable with a foot injury). But it's going to be up to the 11 men on the Giants defense that make the difference.
What to watch for: Forget the stats, it's a rivalry game. Forget last year's game (31-14 Giants), the stakes are different. And forget the Cowboys last opening game at Met Life Stadium (27-24 Jets), this game is going to be a battle of 4 quarters and potentially overtime.
How will the G-Men do with the losses of RB Brandon Jacobs (117 YDS and 2 TD on 26 carries against the Cowboys) to the 49ers and CB Aaron Ross (8 tackles against the Cowboys)to the Jaguars? And with the exceptions of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, which Wide Receiver will step up? Will the tandem of DeMarco Murray (897 YDS and 2 TD on 164 carries) and Felix Jones (575 YDS and 1 TD on 127 carries) take the pressure off the passing game? You'll have to tune in and find out Wednesday night.
Conclusion: The stakes may be different, but the pressure is still the same. While the Cowboys are coming off an impressive 3-1 preseason and the Giants were .500, it doesn't mean anything for two reasons. The first being that you don't see the starters for the full game. And the second, all the Cowboys wins came against teams with new head coaches (Raiders- Dennis Allen, Rams- Jeff Fisher, Dolphins- Joe Philbin). The Giants don't have that problem at this time.
The home team on opening night are 8-0. Last season's opener versus the Jets, the Cowboys blew a 24-10 lead in the 4th quarter. Yes, Romo threw an interception to Darrelle Revis that lead to the GW field goal by Nick Folk from 50 yeards. But it was the Cowboys defense and special teams that were the reason for the letdown. Matt McBriar's punt was blocked that led to the game tying TD by Joe McKnight. If the Cowboys have put that game and their last contest against the Giants in their rear-view mirror, then this game is too close to call.
Prediction: Giants by 3.
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