Cowboys
vs.
Giants
Week 1 Pick
9/5/12
The NFL kicks off it’s 2012 season on, of all nights, Wednesday, as the Dallas Cowboys head east to take on their divisional rival, the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. The 1st week of NFL action is unique from a betting standpoint in that, sportsbooks have had lines posted since April! Betonline opened this Game -3.5 on April 18th. The Game is now -4 there as well as at 5 Dimes and SBG Global. The total is 46.
No better way to start your year and see where you stand than by playing a division foe. These two didn’t hook up last season until December. The Giants took that Game by a field goal and then beat the Cowboys 31-14 in the last Game of the season, on their way to winning the Super Bowl.
This Game has drawn some added attention due to the recent comments of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones recently told a crowd at training camp that they should come watch his team “beat the New York Giants’ asses” this season. All of that means very little as far as the outcome of this one. That type of bulletin board material can be a motivator in the college ranks. But not in the NFL. After all, it’s not as if the Giants weren’t going to try hard until they heard what Jones said.
But the Giants will have a target on their backs this year, as all Super Bowl winners do. Teams will want to see where they measure up. Giants coach Tom Coughlin has this to say. “We do talk about the fact that we have set the bar, and, of course, oNCe you do that, everyone you play feels if they can play well against the team that won the Super Bowl the year before, they have to call themselves a contender. That adds to the motivation and the inspiration for people that play against us, and also gives us the idea about the pride with which we hope to play.’’ That didn’t seem to bother the Packers last year though, as they went 15-1 during the regular season iNCluding a nice opening day win over the Saints.
You can’t look at this Game and say either team has a significant talent edge over the other. As most NFL Games do, this Game will come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes and which team is better prepared. You have to look for little edges, and as far as we can see, those little edges are with the Giants. The emotional 1st home Game after winning the Super Bowl. The banner being raised in the stadium. The added juice that goes along with being at home and having the eyes of the rest of the league on you, being the only Game of the night. Oh, and give us Eli Manning over Tony Romo every time.
Aside from liking the Giants -4 a bit here, you have to take a close look at the total as well. Specifically, OVER the total of 46. 6 of the last 8 Games in this series have seen more than 46 points scored. You may also want to look at TEAM totals for this one. 5 Dimes has the Giants o/u 26 points scored and the Cowboys o/u 21 points scored. 7 of the last 8 Games in this series have seen one team Score31+ points.
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