It could be argued that the NFC East is the most competitive division in football. Last season, none of the four teams finished with a losing record. They sent three teams to the playoffs and one to the Super Bowl.
Sunday night, the race starts up again.
The NFC’s leading rusher last season, Saquon Barkley, is back with the Giants following a contract dispute that ignited conversations league-wide about the value of the running backs. Barkley rejoins quarterback Daniel Jones, who himself signed an extension with New York in the offseason. After a 9-7-1 season a year ago, the Giants have an uphill battle to return to the postseason.
The Dallas Cowboys enter the season trying to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995. Despite the departure of three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott, many familiar faces return to the squad that turned in 12 regular season wins and came a touchdown away from the NFC Championship game.
While sportsbooks list the Cowboys with the sixth-best odds in the league to win it all, Dak Prescott and team will have to get through the Giants first.
Getty Images/Rich Schultz
How to watch Cowboys at Giants
Expect the regular Sunday Night Football broadcast crew for this week’s game with Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark calling the action on NBC nationwide. The game kicks off at 8:20 PM ET.
Injury report for Cowboys vs. Giants
The Giants look relatively healthy going into Week 1. Seven reserve players were listed as limited participants in Thursday’s practice due to various ailments, but the New York starters seem to have a clean bill of health.
Dallas, on the other hand, is dealing with some injuries on the offensive line. Both Tyron Smith (LT) and Tyler Smith (LG) are currently listed as questionable according to ESPN. The Dallas Morning News reported that head coach Mike McCarthy was “very optimistic” that Tyler Smith would play Sunday despite being held out Thursday with a hamstring injury. Tyron Smith was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice due to an ankle injury, per SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan.
Betting line for Cowboys and Giants
Despite injuries on the offensive line, the Cowboys head into Sunday night’s game as 3.5-point favorites according to Caesar’s Sportsbook on Thursday afternoon. The over/under is set at 45.5 points.
The Cowboys sport the sixth-best Super Bowl odds in the league this year, coming in at a +1450 median across four major sportsbooks. New York is more of a longshot, but odds vary more for their chances at the title. While the median is at +5650, Caesar’s lists the G-men at +4000 while BetMGM has them all the way down at +6800.