The New York Giants are set to host the division rival Dallas Cowboys to open the 2023 NFL season Sunday night on NBC.
This has been one of the biggest rivalries in football over the past several decades. It takes on a new meaning with both New York and Dallas coming off playoff seasons.
The Cowboys fancy themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders while New York is seen as a team on the rise. Below, we preview this big game by looking at everything you need to know. That includes checking in on the top players to watch, the biggest storylines, odds for the game and a final prediction.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants: Kickoff time, TV information and odds
- Date: Sunday, September 10
- Time: 8:20 PM ET
- Television: NBC
- Point spread: Cowboys (-3.5)
Top Dallas Cowboys players to watch
Here, we look at two Cowboys players to watch as Mike McCarthy’s squad attempts to start off the 2023 season on a high note.
Tyron Smith, offensive tackle
This future Hall of Famer was questionable heading in with an ankle injury. He’s now set to suit up and play left tackle for the first time since back in 2021. At 32 years old, Smith has shown signs that injuries are catching up to him.
Sunday night’s outing against the Giants is going to be important in that he’ll be taking to the trenches against stud New York edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Given the turnover proneness that Dak Prescott showed a season ago (league-leading 15 interceptions), it’s important for him to get protection in the passing game. The onus is on Smith to provide just that.
Related: It’s all in the numbers for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott, quarterback
Dallas’ success will depend heavily on whether Prescott is able to rebound from a down 2022 season. As noted above, he led the NFL in interceptions a season ago. It came with the quarterback also missing five games to injury.
The Cowboys have a ton riding on Prescott. They went all in this past offseason by acquiring stars Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore in trades. As currently constructed, Dallas’ roster is championship-caliber. Struggles out of the gate in Jersey won’t be seen as a great sign of things to come.
Related: NFL Week 1 power rankings
Top New York Giants players to watch
Below, we look at two Giants players to watch as Brian Daboll and Co. attempt to make a major statement to open the 2023 NFL season.
Daniel Jones, quarterback
Jones is also under a microscope heading into this one. The former top-six pick signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension during the offseason. It came after he threw just 15 touchdowns in 16 starts a season ago.
The good news for New York? He added 708 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground en route to leading the Giants to a surprise playoff appearance. Taking on an elite-level Cowboys defense Sunday night, the onus is on Jones to have more success through the air in this one.
Deonte Banks, cornerback
This rookie first-round pick performed so well in training camp and the preseason that he’s going to get the start in his NFL debut. It’s not going to be an easy task going up against the trio of CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup.
“It’s just the way they play. They’re ahead of their time. I’ve been against a lot of corners, and the confidence they have in themselves is huge. That’s what you’ve got to have on game days — confidence,” Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard on young cornerbacks.
That will have to be on full display if the Giants are going to slow down a Dallas passing game with a ton of weapons at its disposal.
Related: NFL Week 1 expert picks
Top Dallas Cowboys storyline
Dallas heads into Week 1 with head coach Mike McCarthy calling plays. The idea is for the head coach to work more closely with Prescott and help the quarterback turn things around. Leading up to the start of the season, Dallas’ brass had confidence that the dynamic would work out.
“It’s Dak-friendly. He’s going to have an offensive line that is going to be able to protect him better, their spacing is narrower, which is conducive to protection. He’s going to have more opportunities to dump the ball off to the backs. He’s going to have less to do before the snap, and less to read after the snap.”
Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones on Mike McCarthy’s offense
It won’t be easy going up against a Giants pass defense that yielded just 21 passing touchdowns and less than 4,000 yards a season ago. Given that Prescott didn’t see a single preseason snap, that’s magnified further.
Top New York Giants storyline
If the Giants want to make their presence known on the broader NFL stage, taking out the Cowboys has to be the goal. Throughout his career, Dak Prescott boasts a 10-2 record with a 99.4 QB rating in 12 games against the Giants. To say that he has owned New York would be an understatement.
In order to be taken seriously in one of the most difficult divisions in football, defending home field against a team many views to be superior to you is important. This would be the next step in the evolution process for the Giants under head coach Brian Daboll.
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys 27, New York Giants 24