New York Giants: Week 1 Prediction and Projections
Now that Eli Manning has his new contract it’s time for him to focus on beating the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday night. Everyone seems to be against the New York Giants in this contest. However, the Cowboys have a lot of weaknesses that the Giants could easily prey on and hopefully turn it into a win.
Believe it or not, this is a must win for this Giants’ squad. The have a history of struggling in their season openers the past couple of years. Just as Prince Amukamara said, the 0-6 and 0-2 starts left a bad taste with the organization. That’s the last thing that this team needs. They need to start off 2015 the right way.
The Giants tend to play some of their best football with their backs against the wall. So I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants came out swinging this Sunday night. They want to make a statement that they are the team to beat in the NFC East.
Manning tends to play very well in AT&T Stadium so the passing game shouldn’t be much of a problem. The last two years he has had a combined for 698 yards and seven touchdowns in AT&T stadium. Now that he has his new contract, expect those numbers to only get better.
The first thing Ben McAdoo should realize is that the Giants need to attack the Cowboys’ secondary. Despite having a decent defense last year, the Cowboys lost Orlando Scandrick, who was a key piece in their secondary. It would be smart to capitalize on this weakness especially when Manning is on top of his game.
No matter which way you put it, the Cowboys running game is still huge question mark. Darren McFadden is about as fragile as a piece of glass, Joseph Randle clearly isn’t a starting caliber running back, and Lance Dunbar is unproven. The addition of Christine Michael to the mix doesn’t help the situation either.
If the Cowboys believed they had a clear-cut starter they would start that player. The fact that they are using a committee of running backs gives me the impression that they don’t have enough faith in any running back on the roster.
Even though most analysts like the Cowboys coming into this game, I can’t help but not to choose the Giants to win this contest. The team with something to prove is always more dangerous. Look for Manning to extend his career wins in the home of the Cowboys.
Prediction: Giants 31 Cowboys 24
Top Player stats:
Eli Manning: 275 passing yards and three touchdowns
Odell Beckham: 130 yards and two touchdowns
Larry Donnell: 70 yards and one touchdown