An old NFC East rivalry has a new car smell when the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys open the season on Sunday Night Football.
New head coach John Harbaugh and a revamped N.Y. staff are listed as 2.5-point home underdogs at MetLife Stadium, welcoming Dallas and its latest defensive coordinator Christian Parker in Week 1.
Those new faces come with plenty of unknowns, which offers edges in the SNF markets. I dig into this divisional dance for my Cowboys vs. Giants predictions and give my best NFL picks for Sept. 13.
Cowboys vs Giants prediction: Over 47.5
Parker and New York Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson take the training wheels of their stop units on Sunday night. Both new DC’s have similar issues: solid defensive front, shoddy secondary.
The Dallas Cowboys can poke the Giants’ soft spot with the best two-man receiving tandem in the league. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are a problem for the best of defenses, not just doing damage deep but also helping the Cowboys register the fourth most YAC last season.
If Dallas can hit some big plays early, it puts pressure on Giants’ new OC Matt Nagy to get away from his run-heavy schemes and pick up the pace, with more passing.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart has capable playmakers down field, with speedster Darnell Mooney and WR1 Malik Nabers on the field. Nabors tore the Cowboys’ D a new on in Week 2 of last season.
COVERS INTEL: Dak Prescott owns the G-Men. Outside of light work in the 2025 finale, Prescott has passed for a collective 986 yards on 75% completions for eight touchdowns and two INTs in the previous three matchups with New York.
Cowboys vs Giants combo
This NFC East rivalry has produced plenty of points in recent years (3-1 O/U last four meetings) with the Cowboys doing the heavy lifting. Given we have two brand new defenses debuting and plenty of offensive playmakers, I like the Over 47.5 points.
Helping get us past that number is a touchdown from George Pickens, who scored six of his nine TDs versus zone coverage in 2025. He faces a zone-centric schemes on SNF. New York QB Jaxson Dart is always a threat to run and could take off more as he gets used to taking snaps under center.
Cowboys vs Giants combo
- Over 47.5
- George Pickens - Yes 1+ touchdown
- Jaxson Dart – Yes 30+ rushing yards
Cowboys vs Giants touchdown scorer: George Pickens
We haven’t even flipped the coin on Sunday Night Football and Dallas WR George Pickens is already in a war of words with the Giants secondary.
Pickens, who fired back at CB Greg Newsome’s claim New York has the best cornerback room, scored nine touchdowns in his first season with the Cowboys. That includes a fourth-quarter TD in a wild overtime win versus New York in Week 2.
Pickens is one of the best receivers versus zone coverage (rated 10th at PFF in 2025) and faces a zone-centric scheme from Wilson’s defense tonight. Six of his nine scores came against zone last year.
Given Week 1 projections, I’d play Pickens 1+ touchdown as high as 45%.
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Cowboys vs Giants odds
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- Spread: Cowboys -2.5 | Giants +2.5
- Over/Under: Over 47.5 (52%) | Under 47.5 (49%)
- Moneyline: Cowboys 61% | Giants 41%
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Cowboys vs Giants weather
Rain earlier in the day is expected to pass before kickoff at MetLife Stadium. Game-time temperatures will be in the mid-20s but will feel like 33 degrees due to high humidity. Wind gusts will top out at 11 mph blow WSW.
Check out our NFL weather page for up-to-date info on every matchup.
Cowboys vs Giants trend to know
The Cowboys have gone Over the total in 15 of their last 19 games (+10.60 Units / 51% ROI). That includes both games with the Giants in 2025. Find more NFL betting trends for [teamname1 vs. Giants.
How to watch Cowboys vs Giants
| Location | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 8:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC |
Cowboys vs Giants latest injuries
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