The New York Giants will square off against their division rival Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football to open their season.
The Giants are hoping to start the season off with a win just as they did last year in head coach Brian Daboll’s first year as a head coach. It will be no easy task against a Cowboys team that the Giants have struggled mightily against in recent memory.
Buy Giants TicketsDespite the Giants’ improvements to their roster, they are currently listed as home underdogs.
As the Giants look to get off to a good start on the season, here are three causes for concern going into Sunday.
Rookie cornerbacks in first NFL game
The Cowboys added depth this season when they acquired Brandon Cooks, beefing up an already talented unit. Cooks will join Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb to give quarterback Dan Prescott solid options to target.
Meanwhile, the Giants will be leaning heavily on rookies Tre Hawkins and Deonte Banks. The two rookie corners will certainly have their hands full on Sunday.
Pass protection
The Cowboys pass rush has given the Giants problems in recent years.
The Giants’ offensive line will hope to continue to improve from last season and, in particular, Evan Neal is looking to prove his worth in the season opener.
Defensive MVP candidate Micah Parsons will surely give the Giants a massive challenge going into Sunday. They will have to limit Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence in order to have their offense operate functionally.
Recent struggles vs. Cowboys
The Giants have dropped 11 of their last 12 meetings against the Cowboys.
Their roster has improved considerably in the offseason, but none of that matters if the Giants are unable to turn a corner and start to beat their division rivals.
Whether it’s a coincidence or not, Daniel Jones has also not faired well in prime time.
Having a lack of success both against the Cowboys and in prime time, the Giants will have to bring their A-game to put an end to both of these trends.
