David Troy
Videos by OutKick
Cowboys vs. Giants, 8:20 ET
Ah, Sunday Night Football, after a long day of football games, what is better than a football game to cap off our evening? Ladies and gentlemen, we get this for the next 18 weeks. Rejoice in the greatness that is football and the fun that we get from that and betting on the game. We are treated with a good matchup between the Giants and Cowboys to kick off the SNF season.
The Cowboys didn’t win the division last season, but they were able to make the playoffs – one of three teams in the NFC East that made the playoffs. The Cowboys ended with a 12-5 season, and one of the losses was a meaningless game against the Commanders. The season opener last year was probably their worst game of the season as they looked lost on offense and made Tampa Bay’s defense look like the best team in the world. They took down both matchups against the Giants last season as they won in New York 23-16 and then won at home 28-20. The team has a bit of a new look this year as Dak Prescott now also gets to throw to the field stretching Brandin Cooks in addition to CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. Their running back is now Tony Pollard, the guy most were clamoring for to be the lead back last year as Ezekiel Elliot (now with the Patriots) lost a step for the Cowboys. The Dallas defense should be one of the better units in football this season. They have playmakers at many positions and I think their secondary is one of the best. Their defensive ends will be able to put pressure on a tough Giants front as well.
The Giants are not going to be as good as they were last season. It isn’t that they will be terrible, but I think they got kind of lucky last season – even with their playoff win over the Vikings. Daniel Jones arguably did more for anyone in terms of reputation last year than anyone in the sport. People went from “Jones sucks” to “Jones is an underrated quarterback.” In all reality, he is somewhere in between. They did add someone that can make a big difference though in Darren Waller. He’s a very talented tight end and can be a very effective pass catcher. I’d actually argue he is the most talented receiving option on the entire team. Saquon Barkley is still a very dominant and talented running back, but teams are still going to dare Jones to throw on them. The Cowboys are effective in both zone and man coverage so I think they can effectively stop the Giants passing attack. You can load the box a bit as well to combat Barkley’s effectiveness as a result of the talent of the cornerbacks.
Home dogs are typically teams I like to take. I like grabbing the points especially between divisional foes, but I do think the Cowboys will win this game and should cover. So, I’m laying off the spread altogether. I think this game will be a battle though and will be under the 46 points. Neither team is going to light up the scoreboard and you’d expect this to be more of a grind ’em out type game. Take the under in this one.
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