The Dallas Cowboys and host New York Giants, a pair of NFC East Division teams entering the season with lofty expectations after earning wild-card playoff berths in 2022, will open their 2023 campaigns Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Take a look at the latest NFL odds below for Sunday Night Football. Click on the desired odds to place your bet.
In recent years the Cowboys have dominated this series, winning 10 in a row when quarterback Dak Prescott has been in the lineup (8-2 ATS). Dallas even won at MetLife last year as a 1.5-point dog with backup Cooper Rush at quarterback.
New York quarterback Daniel Jones is 1-5 in his career against Dallas (outdueling Andy Dalton in the 2020 finale). Jones no doubt will benefit greatly with the return of standout RB Saquon Barkley (1,312 rush yards in 2022), who had talked of holding out this season before settling for a limited new deal.
Also, it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys alter their attack with coach Mike McCarthy taking over play-calling duties from departed offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. McCarthy vows to “run the damn ball” more often in an effort to ease the defensive workload.
Oddly, Dallas’ average of 31.2 rushes per game last season was the sixth-highest in the league.
Cowboys vs. Giants Point Spread, Moneyline & Total
The Cowboys are a favorite ranging from 3 to 3.5 points on most of the top sports betting apps, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, PointsBet, and Caesars, with little movement since odds were posted three months ago.
On the moneyline, Dallas was available at -167 and the Giants at +152 as of Thursday morning. The over/under ranges from 46 to 46.5 points.
Current odds: Cowboys ML , Giants ML , Total
Last season, in the head coaching debut of New York’s Brian Daboll, the Giants went 9-7-1 and cashed in big for their backers by going a league-best 13-4 ATS in the regular season (1-1 in playoffs). And they did all that despite having a negative six-point differential (NYG had the same negative margin in 2011 when it won its last Super Bowl).
The Cowboys also have been highly successful against the line of late. They were an NFL-best 13-4 in 2021 and followed that with a 10-7 mark last regular season. That’s quite the turnaround after opening the 2020 season 0-8 ATS.
Also read: NFL Week 1 odds | Best NFL betting sites | Super Bowl odds | NFL MVP odds
Cowboys vs. Giants Injury Report/Holdout Info
The Cowboys have more issues than the Giants heading into their Sunday meeting, but with three days till kickoff, things could change.
Making news in recent days was the hamstring injury suffered by Dallas starting OLG Tyler Smith on Monday. His status is unclear for Sunday. If he sits out, the two most likely candidates to replace him are unheralded rookies — fifth-round pick Asim Richards and undrafted free agent T.J. Bass.
Defensively, listed as questionable are free safety Donovan Wilson (calf) and backup LDE Sam Williams (turf toe).
Wilson led the team in tackles last season and was a key member of a Dallas unit that ranked ninth in defensive passer rating. As for Williams, a second-round pick in 2022, he had four sacks in helping the Cowboys total 54, third most in the league.
But the good news is that ORG Zack Martin, a six-time All-Pro, returned to the club in mid-August after holding out for an upgraded contract. The Cowboys relented and would have been in big trouble Sunday if both of their starting guards were unavailable.
The Giants don’t have any injuries listed of note.
Cowboys vs. Giants Prop Bets
Here are some other interesting ways to bet on Sunday night’s game:
First touchdown scorers (FanDuel):
- Cowboys RB Tony Pollard: +500
- Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb: +700
- Giants RB Saquon Barkley: +650
- Giants TE Darren Waller: +950
- Giants QB Daniel Jones: +1200
- Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks: +1400
- Giants WR Isaiah Hodgkins: +1700
- Cowboys WR Michael Gallup: +1800
- Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: +1600
- Giants defense: +2800
- Cowboys defense: +3000
Alternative point spreads (DraftKings)
- Cowboys -17: +526
- Giants +17.5: -940
- Cowboys -10.5: +243
- Giants +10.5: -339
- Cowboys -7.5: +175
- Giants +7.5: -233
- Cowboys -1.5: -158
- Giants +1.5: +122
- Cowboys +9.5: -940
- Giants -7.5: +524
Rushing yards over/unders (FanDuel)
- Cowboys RB Tony Pollard: Over or under 73.5, -114.
- Giants RB Saquon Barkley: Over or under 63.5, -114
Cowboys vs. Giants Stats, Analysis & Prediction
Both offensive lines will be under a microscope, and no player more so than NYG’s second-year starting right tackle, Evan Neal.
Last season he ranked last among ORTs in pass-pressure rate allowed, according to data provided by the FTN Football Almanac. He was especially vulnerable in NYG’s Week 3 home loss to Dallas when allowing DeMarcus Lawrence three sacks.
Neal will have to show improvement or his QB will again spend lots of time on the run and not be able to hang in the pocket for lengthy throws. In 2022, Jones had only 27 completions of 20-plus yards on 472 passes. By contrast, Prescott had 78 fewer passes but 10 more 20-plus connections. His favorite target was All-Pro CeeDee Lamb, who had 107 total catches.
But then again, Jones had the lowest interception rate in the league last year at 1.1 and he also had 708 rushing yards, fifth most for a quarterback in 2022. Prescott, meanwhile, tied for the league lead with 15 INTs despite missing five games with a calf injury. He also threw two interceptions in the postseason.
The Giants added some receiving talent in the offseason, too, with ex-Raiders star TE Darren Waller. He must be good since his ex-coach, Jon Gruden, once said that Waller was the best player he ever coached.
On Dallas’ side, with the release of longtime workhorse RB Ezekiel Elliott, now with New England, the Cowboys will be looking for Tony Pollard (1,007 yards last year) to carry the load. But can he?
He’s coming off a fractured fibula suffered in last season’s playoff loss at San Francisco and has had only one game of 20-plus carries in his four-year career. By contrast, the alpha RB he’s replacing had 44 such games the past six seasons. But Pollard certainly won’t be suffering from fatigue entering this game after having zero carries in the preseason.
In summary, Dallas does indeed have a ferocious pass rush led by Micah Parsons. But the Giants’ defense has improved dramatically from last year, with first-round draft pick Deonte Banks taking over at one corner. And the linebacking unit reportedly is much more athletic, led by offseason acquisition Bobby Okereke, who led Indianapolis in tackles covering the past two seasons.
And then there’s the NYG pass rush. In addition to DT Dexter Lawrence, who was last year’s sack leader, key players returning to the lineup after injuries sidetracked them last year are OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft, and fellow OLB Azeez Ojulari, a second-rounder in 2021.
In summary, the Giants have a lot of new talent to throw at the Cowboys and the fans’ well-rested throats could play a role, too. Edge: NYG.
Forecast: Giants and Under
How to Watch Cowboys vs. Giants
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023
- Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. EDT
- Location: MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, NJ
- Where to Watch: NBC
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