The Dallas Cowboys will have a difficult start of the season because their first encounter is with the New York Giants. Here are some of the predictions for the match that will take place on Sunday.
The NFL has allowed the Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott to play the first game of the season because the decision came too late and couldn’t be enforced over the weekend. This means that the match between the Dallas Cowboys and NY Giants became much more interesting.
Dallas is starting to defend the divisional title from Week 1, and the first game is versus the only squad that beat them last year when the team from Texas had an incredible season. No wonder they managed to become the 2016 NFC East Champions, but will Dallas be able to repeat this success and go even deeper into the playoffs?
Last season, Dallas was 13-3, and the team had an 11-game winning streak in between their two losses to the Giants. The final loss was not even important because it came against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 when the season already ended for the Cowboys and they were preparing for the playoffs. Most of the starters watched the game from the sideline, resting for what was to come.
The two teams will meet again at the season start, and this has become a tradition. The whole America will watch this duel and here are three bold predictions for the Cowboys in their season opener.
3. The Cowboys Revamped Defense Gets Three Turnovers
People have been talking about the Dallas defense and all of the changes over the past few months. Both of the starting corners – Morris Claiborne and Brendon Carr – walked out in the free agency, but safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox were also the ones to take a leave. The only starter which returns for the 2017 season is safety Byron Jones.
Orlando Scandrick is a veteran who will be backed up by Anthony Brown as well as Nolan Carroll, picked up in free agency. Dallas also selected Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis in the Draft, but both players struggled with injuries and will not have a chance to show off their full potential. The pressure on the defense is high, and one of the young players who have to deal with it is the defensive end, Taco Charlton.
Even though Dallas is having a rough luck regarding the defense, the prediction is that they will capitalize on three turnovers. Giants’ Eli Manning is a high-quality quarterback, but he knows how to throw an interception. He had bad throws last year versus Dallas, but Cowboys defense dropped the ball several times. The new group has a lot to prove, and they will intercept those passes.
2. Ezekiel Elliott Explodes
The only poor performance Ezekiel Elliott had was in Week 1 against the Giants. It was his first game on the big stage, and after that, he unleashed his full potential, showing the world what kind of player he is. He was the top runner in the NFL even though he didn’t play in Week 17. After the dream-like season, Elliott has become the focal point of the league investigation, and he was accused of domestic violence, receiving a six-game suspension.
However, Zeke will play in the first game of the season, and he will show what he can do. This guy is probably angry about the whole investigation, and he will use that anger on the field, so the Giants defense better watch out! We expect him to run for more than 100 yards in his season debut.
1. Dez Bryant with Two TDs
At the end of last season QB, Dak Prescott and WR, Dez Bryant finally started working like a well-oiled machine. The connection is going to continue on Sunday, and we expect Bryant to catch two touchdowns. Also, we believe that he will have a much better season this year than he had in 2016 when he caught 50 passes for 796 yards and recorded eight TDs.
What do you think about these predictions?