Staff picks, predictions: Will Giants defeat Cowboys?

A new season is here, and your Big Blue View staff will once again be predicting the outcome of New York Giants game throughout the season. Will the Giants defeat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday?

Here are our picks.

Chris Pflum

"Questions, questions, questions. How will preseason sensation Dak Prescott fare once the he faces a defense that is actually game planning to stop him? Will he be up to dealing with NFL speed and schemes? Will the almost complete lack of film on him hold the defense back? Can the Giants' offensive line play like an offensive line? Will the Giants' revamped defense play fast and aggressively as a unit, or will they be 11 individuals?

I, and the Giants, would be foolhardy to even consider underestimating Prescott. He won't have full command of the offense, he will have rookie moments where disguised coverages fool him. That doesn't matter. The Cowboys will likely run a simplified version of their offense, catering Prescott's strengths. They'll use the running game, play-action, and motion to simplify his reads. I think the Giants' defense will play well most of the time, but youth on the back end and some missed gambles might lead to a couple big plays for the Cowboys. On the flip side, I'm expecting the Giants' offensive line will be competent, maybe not great, but much better than we saw in a preseason when they weren't trying to win. I think the Giants will be able to mount enough of a rushing attack against the Cowboys' depleted defensive front, and Eli Manning has always played well in Dallas. He should be able to put up enough points.

The New York Giants get their first week 1 win since 2010.

Pick: Giants

Mike Gallop

The Giants are 0-8 against the Cowboys on opening day. Coughlin team notoriously started slow, even the two that ended up with rings. We can't know if McAdoo will have the team ready out of the gates, but there are a few obvious narratives heading into the game. The Giants spent Liberia's deficit on fixing the defense, and the Cowboys are rolling out to rock star rookies on offense, who also gey the benefit of the top offensive line in the NFL and a healthy Dez. That matchup is the unknown for Sunday.

What seems obvious to me, and why I'm picking the Gmen to break this awful record, is that the Giants offense should find plenty of success against an on-paper Swiss cheese defense of Dallas.

Pick: Giants 31 Cowboys 21

Keane Macadaeg

As per Cowboys hype, Dak Prescott is supposedly the big threat in the NFC East. However, that is a lot to expect in the first game of a fourth round rookie. Ezekiel Elliott looks like the real deal however, but the Giants defensive line looks well equipped to mitigate the damage.

Of course on offense, the line will draw the ire of the fans but remember this is the first time all five starters are playing in awhile. Weston Richburg and Justin Pugh have missed preseason games but will be fine in Dallas. More importantly, Dallas does not have a worrisome defensive line to begin with.

The Giants played Dallas well in last year's opener despite missing Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul and Will Beatty. They played well by starting Markus Kuhn. Funnily enough all three are looking to contribute in some way and Kuhn has been replaced by Damon Harrison. If the Giants play mistake free, this should not be a stressful game.

Pick: Giants 27, Cowboys 17

Joe Messineo

Ahhh the Cowboys, the scourge of every G-Men fan from sea to shining sea. Opening day games in recent history have not gone in our favor, but I'm always a big believer that different team(s), equal different results. Expect things to start out slow for both squads. Maybe even Dak and Zeke (is this a RB/QB combo or some kind of cartoon duo) get some early success behind the ever solid Dallas O-Line, but as the game goes on, the better team will start to find it's way. With some halftime adjustments the Giants will comeback from the small deficit they find themselves in and go up behind a solid performance from rookie stud Sterling Shepard and a steady dose of OBJ doing what he does best. The pass rush will come on strong late and find the inexperienced Prescott exposed. Come late fourth quarter a steady diet of Jennings eating away at the clock will carry America's real favorite team home to a 10-point victory.

Pick: Giants

Jesse Bartolis

This is a game the Giants should win, and they should win comfortably. (Complete explanation in Jesse’s weekly picks against the point spread.)

Pick: Giants

Valentine’s View

It should make Giants fans nervous that our entire staff is about to be unanimous in predicting a victory by the Giants. That, though, is what is going to happen since I am also taking the Giants to win the season opener.

The Giants have lost five straight openers, and have been beaten four times by Dallas in season openers since 2007.

It’s a new era for the Giants with Ben McAdoo as head coach, and I think it gets off to a good start. I mean, things have to change eventually, don’t they?

Pick: Giants