Steve Starr
- Dallas is a 3.5-point road favorite over the New York Giants in Week 1 of the NFL season
- Micah Parsons and the Cowboys should have one of the NFL’s best defenses this year
- Sunday Night Football on NBC kicks off from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ at 8:20pm ET
The first Sunday Night Football game of the year is a NFC East showdown between the Cowboys and Giants. Winners of the last four matchups in this series, Dallas looks like a Super Bowl contender heading into the season. New York also hopes to continue its upward trajectory after a surprise playoff berth and Wild-Card Round victory over the Vikings in 2022.
Before we check the odds on the game, here’s where you can find the best Super Bowl betting tips and the top betting sites for NFL football in 2023.
Giants vs Cowboys
 | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
| Dallas Cowboys | -3.5 (+100) | -170 | Ov 46.5 (-110) |
| New York Giants | +3.5 (-120) | +150 | Un 46.5 (-110) |
The Mike McCarthy factor
Dallas is a 3.5-point road favorite on Sunday night. In the offseason, Jerry Jones cut Ezekiel Elliott, opening up more touches for electric running back Tony Pollard, and traded for veteran receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore. While the Cowboys look like contenders to win their first Super Bowl since 1995 – there is one potential fly in the ointment.
Mike McCarthy is taking over play-calling duties following the dismissal of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Dak Prescott also threw a career-high 15 interceptions in 12 games last year before being picked off twice in a 19-12 loss to the 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Dak Prescott is under the most pressure to win the Super Bowl this season, according to @stephenasmith 📝 pic.twitter.com/ORQV0ODRwG
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 4, 2023
Year 2 of the Brian Daboll era
Brian Daboll was named the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year after leading Big Blue to a 9-7-1 record. The Giants upset the Vikings on Wild-Card Weekend before being smoked by the Eagles, 38-7, in the Divisional Round. Including that loss, New York was a combined 0-5 versus Philadelphia and Dallas last year.
Daniel Jones received an enormous four-year, $160 million extension this summer. He passed for a career-high 3,205 yards with 708 yards and seven scores on the ground in 2022. But, despite racking up 1,664 combined yards and 10 TDs, the real driver of the G-Men’s offense, Saquon Barkley, couldn’t secure the bag.
Micah Parsons for DPOY?
Micah Parsons is a +400 favorite to claim NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The 24-year-old superstar is converting to EDGE full-time this season, which should help him exceed his 13.5-sack total from last year. New York is also hoping their fifth pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kayvon Thibodeaux, can build on his pedestrian four-sack campaign.
Dan Quinn enters year three as Dallas’ defensive coordinator while Giants DC Wink Martindale is known for getting the most out of his talent with a blitz-happy game plan.
This Tom Brady and Micah Parsons interaction 🤣🙌
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/VRuuVkiwVa
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 27, 2023
Best Bet
Mike McCarthy is known for blowing close games at the buzzer. So, it’s easy to envision a fourth-quarter meltdown on the opening Sunday night telecast of the year. However, Dallas won both games with the Giants by over a touchdown last year and have a massive edge in talent.
We like the Cowboys to cover versus their NFC East division rivals, with the UNDER 46.5 points.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
