N.Y. GIANTS (at Dallas):
Typically, the tendency is to try to shy away from teams playing on the road, but the Giants have made Jerry Jones’ Ginormous Football Palace a home away from home. They’re 4-0 in this facility, and they’ve put up big numbers in every one of those games.
| Giants at Cowboys Stadium |
|---|
| Year Score |
| 2009 won 33-31 |
| 2010 won 41-35 |
| 2011 won 37-34 |
| 2012 won 29-24 |
Not that the Cowboys are pushovers, but whatever the reason, New York seems to match up well or rise to the occasion against this opponent. So conservatively, probably best to go ahead and pencil them in to score in the mid-20s (and that might be a little low). ... David Wilson could be an emerging star. He’s a blur -- capable of breaking loose for a touchdown from anywhere on the field -- and they’re going to use him full-time for now. Andre Brown is out for the first half of the season, so the time-share deal is on hold. Wilson will carry the load, and he’ll be their goal-line back. He was in top form in the exhibitions, ripping off an 84-yard touchdown against the Jets and coming close to scoring long touchdowns on a handful of other carries. Dallas looks ordinary against the run, and the Giants have scored rushing touchdowns in each of the last four games in this series. Proceed as if Wilson is a toptier back (because he is). ... We’re not crazy about Eli Manning. Yes, he’s undefeated in this stadium, and he’s had plenty of big games against the Cowboys. But this series changed a little bit last year. The
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Cowboys drafted Morris Claiborne and signed Brandon Carr, and that gives them a pair of cornerbacks who match up really well against New York’s wide receivers. It worked. Manning passed for only 213 yards and 1 TD when the Giants lost 24-17 on opening day, and he was pretty ordinary in the win at this stadium in October. The Giants got turnovers and snuck away with a 5-point win, but Manning didn’t have much success -- 15 of 29 for 192 yards, with no touchdowns. So you’re looking at an average of only 203 yards in those two games, and with just one touchdown. Now the Cowboys are hopping mad -- at home and annoyed they keep losing to the Giants there. Typically with Manning, we’ll project him to pass for 250- 260 yards and close to a couple of touchdowns, but we’re going a little lower here. Despite the favorable history, we’re not recommending him. ... Going back to the cornerbacks. They’ve got us wary of Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. Those guys are good receivers, but Carr and Clairborne match up well against them. And is either of those guys in top form anyway? Cruz has been hobbling around on a bad heel and just returned to practice. Nicks skipped a lot of the offseason. We’re slotting that pair lower than usual. This could be a game where Manning makes more use of his other targets. Rueben Randle and Brandon Myers come to mind (though to clarify: those guys are well down the list). Randle is just a No. 3 receiver. Myers shouldn’t be a big part of the passing game. The tight end he replaced (Martellus Bennett) caught 4 passes in each of the Dallas games last year, with one touchdown. ... We like Josh Brown. The Giants had problems finishing drives last year, with Lawrence Tynes attempting 39 field goals. With the way New York played in the preseason, it looks like that trend could extend into this season. He could be one of the league’s busier kickers. ... The Giants Defense looks like a middle-of-the-pack unit at best this week. For sacks, it’s a little better than average, but we don’t envision a bunch of interceptions. New York, of course, got 4 interceptions in its last game against Tony Romo, but he’s typically good at avoiding those -- 40 in his last 53 other games. New York’s secondary intercepted 21 passes last year, but Stevie Brown had 8 of those and is gone for the year.
