New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: Week 1 Game Breakers
By Sean Dyer
The New York Giants are set to take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sunday Night Football to kick off their 2017 season.
The New York Giants will take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 for the fifth time in the last six years on Sunday night.
An NFC East divisional matchup, this should be a close game. In a close game, there are certain players who step up and make the difference. Here are the offensive and defensive game breakers for Big Blue this week.
Offensive Game Breaker: WR Sterling Shepard
According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, New York Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is questionable for Sunday Night Football with the ankle injury he suffered against the Cleveland Browns in the preseason. OBJ is a game-time decision.
If Odell misses the game against Dallas, other wide receivers will have to step up. Even if Beckham is active for Week 1, he’ll likely be limited a bit by his injured ankle.
Brandon Marshall will see an uptick in targets but I don’t see his role in the offense changing too much without OBJ. Marshall will still likely be the big red zone target New York brought him in to be but I don’t see him hauling in eight to ten passes. Odell’s absence should all but guarantee Marshall a touchdown but that’s not enough to earn him our offensive game breaker.
I know Giants fans are excited about Evan Engram’s role in the offense. I am too. Engram is a matchup nightmare who will be too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs.
However, rookie tight ends historically go through an adjustment period and I’m not ready to name Evan Engram my offensive game breaker in Week 1. Eli Manning loves to use his tight ends and it shouldn’t be long before Engram is a difference maker for Big Blue. I just don’t think it’s this week.
Related Story: Can We All Just Cut Odell Beckham Jr. a Break?
The player who will see the biggest increase in production if Odell Beckham Jr. misses the game or is limited will be Sterling Shepard.
Shepard will likely spend time this year sharing the slot with Evan Engram but without Odell on the outside, the second-year receiver should be on the field all night.
Shepard should be a target machine on Sunday night and could haul in double-digit catches. Eli will rely on Shepard to move the sticks, giving him consistent third down looks.
The Dallas Cowboys secondary underwent a remodel this offseason. Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Barry Church, and J.J. Wilcox are all elsewhere and the Giants need to take advantage of Dallas’ new-look coverage unit.
With or without Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard will be working both in the slot and on the outside, hauling in multiple passes, picking up key first downs, and perhaps getting into the end zone.
Sterling Shepard Predicted Stat Line: 8 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD
Defensive Game Breaker: SS Landon Collins
Although Odell Beckham Jr. may miss this game, Ezekiel Elliott will be on the field for Week 1. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Elliott has received a preliminary injunction and will likely play the entire season. The Texas court said that Zeke did not “receive a fundamentally fair hearing.”
It was known earlier in the week that Ezekiel Elliott would be playing against the Giants. New York also likely spent most of the preseason assuming they would be facing Zeke in Week 1 (at least I hope they were preparing for the reigning NFL rushing champ).
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Along the defensive line, Damon “Snacks” Harrison should be able to clog the middle and close up running lanes. However, if Elliott gets outside or to the second level, the New York Giants will need their All-Pro safety to come down and stop him in his tracks.
Landon Collins was arguably the most improved player in the NFL last year, making plays all over the field. Big Blue will need Collins making plays on Sunday if they want to come away with the victory over their division rivals.
There isn’t any aspect of the game that Collins can’t contribute to defensively. The Giants will need to put pressure on Dak Prescott as he tries to follow up his NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. Although Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul will be counted on to rush the passer, Landon Collins had four sacks last year and can wreak havoc in the backfield as well. After five interceptions last season, Collins could also pick off one of Prescott’s passes on Sunday.
Collins will be in the backfield, in the box, and in the secondary. Steve Spagnuolo will use him anywhere and everywhere. Both Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott will have to keep an eye on where No. 21 is on Sunday night.
Next: Five New York Giants Who Will Make or Break 2017 Season
Sterling Shepard will carry the Giants offense without Odell Beckham Jr. as best he can but New York will have to keep Dallas off the board if they want to win this one. Landon Collins will begin his third NFL season with a bang on Sunday night as he puts himself into consideration for best safety in the league.