Looking ahead to September 8, Dallas has a big hurdle to overcome. That is since moving into their new stadium recently dubbed AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys have not beaten the Giants once at home.
Failure to beat Eli Manning and company in Dallas is one of the points that critics like to bring up and one that makes Cowboys Nation's blood boil. I assume it has the same effect on the Cowboys players.
Dallas is going to win this game for two reasons:
- If you thought that Dallas was facing a lot of injuries, take a look at the Giants preseason. They are much worse in that regard than Dallas, which immediately gives the Cowboys an upper hand.
- Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Demarcus Ware, Sean Lee and Dez Bryant just simply aren't going to lose this game. They're tired of hearing the talk about Eli Manning always winning in Dallas.
Expect Romo to look for Bryant early and often in this game. Bryant will be going up against what has been a talented secondary but with all the weapons the Cowboys can put on the field (Witten, Austin, Murray), Dallas' top wide receiver should get a look at plenty of one-on-one situations in which he can excel.
Opponents ran for over 2,000 yards last season against the Giants averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Coach Bill Callahan and the Cowboys offense will definitely attack what was a weakness in the 2012 season. If Dallas uses a good balanced attack on offense, they can put up some big numbers against an ailing Giants' defense.
One thing for Cowboys' fans to worry about on offense is how the offensive line holds up. It's not certain whether Ronald Leary will be healthy enough to get the start at left guard, but I think there's a good chance he will. This means that Doug Free would remain at right tackle and Mackenzy Bernadeau would play right guard. However, if Leary does not play, Bernadeau would move to left guard, Free would take right guard and Jermey Parnell would play right tackle.
The prospect of having to start Parnell is cause for concern because Parnell missed most of preseason with an injury, and the shifting around of players could affect rookie center, Travis Frederick. So the health of Leary is something to watch. If the offensive line does not play well, it'll be another long night of watching Tony Romo run for his life.
All that being said, I fully expect Dallas to score a lot of points this game against a banged up Giants' defense. If however, this game turns into a shoot-out between Romo and Manning this game will likely come down to turnovers.
Dallas cannot turn over the ball. They want the Giants' injury riddled defense on the field as often as possible. Coach Monte Kiffin and the Cowboys' defense need to create turnovers by putting pressure on Eli Manning and forcing him to make a few throws that he shouldn't.
I'd like to see the Dallas defense grab two interceptions on Sunday night—maybe one from Brandon Carr and another from Sean Lee. If they intercept Manning twice, Dallas will win this game handily. The Cowboys win this game by at least two scores.
Final score prediction: Dallas 31, New York 17
Get ready for Sunday night New York, because the Cowboys will be.
