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Giants vs. Cowboys 2017, Week 14: Giants open Steve Spagnuolo era as 6-point underdogs

Eli Manning will play, but will it matter?

NFL: Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants NorthJersey.com-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants will open the Steve Spagnuolo era as head coach on Sunday as 6-point underdogs at home to the Dallas Cowboys.

Win or lose, the firings this week of Ben McAdoo as coach and Jerry Reese as general manager are likely to leave fans at MetLife Stadium in a better frame of mind than they would have been if no changes had been made.

The team’s 2-10 record, the botching of the Eli Manning situation last week, and the general dysfunction that has permeated the franchise all season have left fans and former players disillusioned.

Manning, incidentally, is expected to start on Sunday.

Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch likely understood just how ugly things could get at MetLife Stadium with three of the team’s final four games at home.

“I was certainly cognizant of what the fan reaction was likely to be over the last four weeks, but that wasn’t the final determining factor,” Mara said Monday when he spoke about the changes. “We just reached a point where we felt, you know what, we’re going to be making these changes probably at the end of the season, so what’s the point in prolonging this any further.”