Cowboys vs. Giants: Players Who Will Shrink on NFL Opening Night's Mighty Stage

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Although the joy and excitement surrounding Wednesday night's season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants will bring out the best in many players, it will prove to be a big a stage for some others.

Whether they are facing tough matchups against challenging stars, or just looking to live up to the hype, these players will shrink on the NFL's mighty season-opening stage Wednesday night.

Ahmad Bradshaw

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw had his worst rushing season since 2008 last year. He averaged a career-worst 3.9 yards per carry on 171 touches. 

Good news for Giants fans: New York drafted speedster David Wilson last April.

Bradshaw will have trouble getting anything going against the Dallas defense, which ranked seventh against the run last season, allowing just over 99 yards on the ground per week.

The veteran back carried the ball 24 times total against the Cowboys in two meetings in 2011. But he only averaged 2.9 yards per carry, combining for 69 total rushing yards in both games. 

Morris Claiborne

Dallas Cowboys rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne has loads of potential and is poised to become a successful NFL defender, but he will struggle on Wednesday night on the biggest stage of his life. 

Claiborne will see talented wide receivers like Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks running at him all night and will have a two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback in Eli Manning looking to exploit his inexperience.

Manning threw for nearly 5,000 yards in 2011 and led the NFL's fifth-best passing attack. Both Cruz and Nicks surpassed 1,100 yards receiving as well. The two wideouts combined for more than 2,700 receiving yards. 

Good luck, rookie.

Martellus Bennett

Giants tight end Martellus Bennett will play his first game with New York against his old team. Bennett played four seasons with the Cowboys but failed to pan out.

Bennett caught just 85 passes in 60 regular season appearances for Dallas. The 6'6" target has just four career NFL touchdowns, all of them coming in his rookie season in 2008.

It's only a matter of time before the Giants lose patience with Bennett in New York. The 25-year-old has shown little promise thus far as a pro and is no doubt to be a lock to shrink on Wednesday night's mighty stage. 

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