What to Watch for in Giants and Cowboys NFL Kickoff

Soft-spoken New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is ready to let his play show how talented he really is. (Nick Laham)

It is hard to believe that the start of the NFL season is less than 24 hours away. On Wednesday night, the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants host their NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys. With much on the line already, my blog post looks to give you a few things to keep an eye on while you watch the game.

Giants Wide Receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz vs.
Cowboys Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr

One of the most blatant statistics from last year's Giants vs. Cowboys matchups was that Nicks and Cruz lit up the Cowboys secondary for 25 catches and nearly 500 receiving yards. It obviously didn't take long for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to take notice of the issue. It was one of his top offseason priorities. Jones traded up to get Claiborne out of LSU in the first round of the draft. He also acquired Carr from the Kansas City Chiefs. The real question becomes are Claiborne and Carr ready to slow down and contain Nicks and Cruz. Wednesday night's game should be a good indicator one way or the other.

Giants Defensive Line vs. Cowboys Offensive Line

This is not an insult to the Cowboys offensive line. They are actually pretty talented, especially if tight end Jason Witten is able to play through his lacerated spleen. This is really about how good the Giants defensive line is. Whether it is Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyoria, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, or Rocky Bernard, the Giants have a ton of personnel that they can rotated through their defensive line. If the Cowboys are going to have any chance of winning, they must protect their quarterback Tony Romo and open up lanes for their running backs.

Giants Dominance vs. Cowboys Lack There Of

Since 2008, the Giants are 7-2 against the Cowboys. The wins haven't typically been blowouts. They have usually come down to one or two crucial plays. The Giants players have been the ones making them. Last December, it was Pierre-Paul's field goal attempt block. In January, it was Giants quarterback Eli Manning's third down completion to Cruz in the fourth quarter. The Giants have simply been the better team as of late. There has to be a psychological edge that comes along with that.