Giants Cowboys
The Giants and Cowboys split their head-to-head meetings last season. Reuters

Over 100,000 people are expected to be in attendance for the first Sunday Night Football Game of 2013. The Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants in the Week 1 meeting between the two teams.

It’s the second straight year that the division rivals will face off in the season opener. Last year, the Cowboys upset the then-defending Super Bowl champs at MetLife Stadium.

The Cowboys enter the contest as three-point favorites. New York is the underdog, but they have never lost at AT&T Stadium. The Giants are 4-0 when visiting Dallas, since they opened their new building in 2009.

Both clubs are coming off disappointing 2012 campaigns. The Giants didn’t even have a chance to defend their title in the playoffs when they missed the postseason. The Cowboys missed a chance to win the division on the final game of the year, and finished in third place. Despite their struggle, Dallas and New York are the two favorites to win the NFC East.

There’s a good chance this will be a high-scoring affair. The over/under has been set at 49.5, and both teams have their offensive playmakers healthy. Eli Manning will have Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz on the field, while Tony Romo will be looking to connect with Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten.

The Giants, however, are banged up in other areas. Manning might not have the protection that he’s used to with injuries to offensive linemen David Diehl and David Baas.

On the defensive side of the ball, New York’s best player is a game-time decision. Jason Pierre-Paul traveled with the team to Dallas, but hasn’t decided if he’ll play for the first time since coming off back surgery.

Dallas is expected to live up to Dez Bryant’s claim that New York won’t go 5-0 on their home turf. The Cowboys are 3.5-point favorites.

The start time has been set for 8:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast nationally on NBC, but fans can watch a free live stream online with NBC Sports Extra.

Prediction: New York 31, Dallas 28

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