NFL Kickoff 2012: Breaking Down Key Matchups That Will Decide Dallas vs New York

The NFL season will kick off on Wednesday night with a fierce division battle between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.

The game will start at 8:30 p.m. ET.

These two rivals faced each other twice in the final four weeks of last season, with the Giants winning both games en route to a Super Bowl victory. New York’s Week 17 victory over Dallas kept the Cowboys out of the postseason.

Dallas will desperately want revenge in this game. Here are the matchups they must win in order to earn a victory.

Giants Wide Receivers vs. Dallas Cornerbacks 

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made aggressive moves to upgrade the secondary. He gave Brandon Carr a five-year, $50.1 million contract and traded Dallas’ first- and second-round picks to move up in this year’s draft to take LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.

The Cowboys secondary has two new starters on the outside, and Carr and Claiborne will be tested against one of the best wide receiver duos in the league.

Hakeem Nicks is strong and athletic with incredible hands. Victor Cruz proved to be a reception machine last season, and he is quick and crafty enough to destroy a team in the slot or burn his man deep. 

If the young Dallas corners are still climbing the learning curve and adjusting to a new defensive system, this will be a long night for Cowboys fans.

Giants Defensive Line vs. Cowboys Offensive Line

Offensive lines must work together as a unit to achieve success, and the five Dallas blockers have never played together. They must learn each other’s tendencies quickly, as they are facing the NFL’s most fearsome pass rush.

Jason Pierre-Paul was the most dangerous lineman in he league last season. He is a physical freak who can blow past tackles on the edge and overpower interior linemen in the middle. Blocking him is nearly impossible. 

And playing the Giants is so difficult because Justin Tuck possesses the same skill set.

Osi Umenyiora is a premier defensive end when healthy, and these three players have the potential to embarrass the Dallas offensive line.

Stopping New York’s pass rush is an unrealistic goal. But Dallas must try to neutralize the linemen with their play calls, and the blockers must contain them on occasion for the team to have a chance at a victory.

Cowboys’ Skill Position Players vs. Injury

Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant all struggled with injuries during the preseason, and DeMarco Murray suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14 of last year.

When the Dallas offense is healthy, it has a quarterback, a running back, two wide receivers and a tight end who are capable of playing at a Pro Bowl level. However, all have injury concerns surrounding them due to past or current ailments.

If Witten cannot play against New York, or either Bryant or Austin are not at full strength in the game, the Cowboys offense will struggle against a talented Giants defense.

These players also must stay healthy throughout the the majority of the season for Dallas to live up to the lofty expectations that surround the Cowboys ever year.

Both Teams vs. the Replacement Referees

This will be the replacement officials’ first taste of regular season football in the NFL.

Players, coaches and commentators were harsh on the referees chosen to fill in for the league’s striking officials. And that was during preseason football, which features a significantly slower game.

Now that the starters will be on the field for the entire game and will have less concern over injury, the game will speed up. Mistakes seem imminent, and the criticism of the replacement referees will almost certainly continue.

If either team becomes overly frustrated with poor decisions by the crew for the season opener, it could cost them the game.