NFL: NY GIANTS at DALLAS (8:20 PM ET, NBC)

The NFC East looks just as projected after Week 1 results, with a 3-team logjam at the top of the standings. Two of those clubs, New York & Dallas, will go head-to-head in Week 2 in a Sunday night NBC affair. Betting at Sportsbook.com has been brisk for t

2009-09-21

The NFC East looks just as projected after Week 1 results, with a 3-team logjam at the top of the standings. Two of those clubs, New York & Dallas, will go head-to-head in Week 2 in a Sunday night NBC affair. Betting at Sportsbook.com has been brisk for this game, on everything from the side and total, to the numerous Sunday night weekly prop options offered. Most bettors are leaning to the Giants as the 3-point underdog and OVER the total of 44.5. See the latest breakdown on the BETTING TRENDS page.

Home teams have generally had the upper hand in this head-to-head series, boasting a 22-12 SU & 21-11-2 ATS mark since ’92, but the Giants own a 6-3-2 ATS edge in the L11 meetings. Ten of the L14 games in Dallas have gone UNDER the total. HC Wade Phillips’ team is a small 2-1/2 point favorite and that could be key, as he owns an 8-1 ATS record in games with lines in the +3 to -3 range. However, the Cowboys are looking to improve their recent 6-14 ATS record vs. divisional foes. The Giants have been outstanding under HC Tom Coughlin vs. NFC East rivals, 20-12 ATS.

No T.O.? No problem. Forget the question marks, because Tony Romo put an exclamation mark on how the Dallas offense would respond without its biggest playmaker, throwing for a career-high 353 yards in a 34-21 win at Tampa Bay. But all isn’t so happy for a franchise getting set to play its first regular-season game in the new Cowboys Stadium, the one with the largest high-definition scoreboard in the world. At 25,000 square feet, every mistake is magnified, and the Dallas defense had plenty of them as the Bucs totaled 450 yards of offense, including 174 on the ground.

The Giants also find themselves making up for the loss of a Pro Bowl receiver (Plaxico Burress) and are doing so with a largely unproven cast. Top draft pick Hakeem Nicks is currently running fourth on the depth chart, behind Mario Manningham, Dominick Hixon and Steve Smith.Quarterback Eli Manning has had his ups and downs much like Romo, and the fact that both teams feature punishing, multi-player ground attacks nearly guarantee someone from the group of Jacobs, Bradshaw, Marion Barber or Felix Jones will be the deciding factor.

Both franchises boast defenses reliant on an explosive pass rush, but it was Dallas that brought the house last season, sacking Manning 12 times, including eight in the rematch, won by the Cowboys, 20-8.

PREDICTION
Like this game needed anything other than the two teams in pads and helmets to add to the hype. Throwing in the opening of the Cowboys new stadium is just an added bonus between two hated rivals. DALLAS 24, N.Y. GIANTS 17

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