Key Giants Players to Watch in Week 1 Game vs. Dallas Cowboys

This is it folks. No more meaningless preseason games, no more speculation, no more waiting.

The New York Giants’ regular season kicks off Sunday night in Dallas, a game that is critical with a capital “C” for them if they’re to have any chance whatsoever at a postseason berth.

Why is that, you ask? First, the Cowboys are the defending NFC East champions and a favorite to repeat in that role. Second, as a division opponent, the Giants must win as many of those games as possible if they are to get themselves in a good spot when postseason berths are determined.

It’s not going to be easy—the Giants have been swept by the Cowboys in the regular-season series in each of the last two years.

Somehow, some way the Giants need to find a way to get it done or else it could be a long, long year for the Giants and their faithful.

With that said, let’s look at five key players who especially need to bring their A-game Sunday night.

LT Ereck Flowers

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

The Giants’ first-round draft pick will make his first NFL start as quarterback Eli Manning’s blindside protector.

That’s either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how much stock you put in Pro Football Focus’ grades. According to the advanced analytics site, Flowers’ pass block grade of -6.1 in the preseason was 31st among the 32 qualifying rookie offensive tackles who took at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps.

Taking that grade a little deeper, Flowers pass blocked 75 times, allowing six pressures. By contrast, Bobby Hart, the team’s seventh-round draft pick, allowed four pressures in 55 pass-blocking snaps.

Flowers’ pass blocking has improved, but where he should really make a difference for the Giants is as a run-blocker in tandem with left guard Justin Pugh. The Giants enjoyed most of their success in the ground game when running to the left side of the line, so much so that they sent the majority of their preseason runs that way.

Don’t look for that to continue, though, as with the return of Geoff Schwartz at right guard, the Giants don’t’ want to pigeonhole themselves into one area of the field when they desperately need to get a running game going early.

S Landon Collins

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Ready or not, the Giants are going to unveil two starting safeties (Landon Collins and Cooper Taylor) on Sundays night with zero NFL starts among them.

Collins is the team’s second-round pick, who will probably see most of his assignments down in the box considering how well he did in run defense. Per Pro Football Focus, Collins’ run-stopping percentage of 12.0 percent was tied for second among all safeties in the preseason.

“Play hard, play fast. Be as smart as you can be, be loud, communicate—all the things that a safety needs to do,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said when asked what he wants to see from Collins starting Sunday.

“We all realize it’s his first game in the league. But you know, he played on a big stage at Alabama, so hopefully that’s prepared him for this particular stage. But one day at a time, get better every day.”

So far, Spagnuolo has liked what he has seen form Collins this summer.

“Active guy, runs real well, real fast, downhill speed guy. I think he’s a physical guy. In the preseason, trying to keep your guys from getting dings. I don’t know if he played as many reps as he probably needed—I know he didn’t play as many as he needed.

“A guy like that that comes in at that position as a rookie needs 1,000 reps in games. But it’s just going to take time before he’s up to where we want him. He’s going to get baptism by fire. That’s just the way it is.”

Uani' Unga

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Here we go again.

Jon Beason, who last year saw his season end in Dallas, has suddenly become a question mark for this weekend’s game thanks to his injured knee flaring up after Wednesday’s practice.

The 30-year-old Beason was listed as limited after Wednesday’s practice and then was a scratch from Thursday’s practice. Afterward, he told reporters that he developed some soreness in his knee but otherwise was hopeful of playing on Sunday.

“Wednesday was basically to gauge where I was full speed and see how I felt,” he said. “Obviously we were in pads, tackling and changing directions. Felt pretty good.  It’s just, see how it feels the next day, and so it’s a little sore, so the smartest thing to do is to take a day off and see how it feels [Friday].”

Beason, who chose to remain inside while the team was practicing so he could receive treatment, will have Friday off as well, as the team will go through one of its new recovery days. However, it sounds as though Beason’s knee is going to have to be managed, which means this team could end up holding its breath as to whether it will have its defensive leader.

If Beason can’t go—and that would not be a stunner given his recent history—first-year player Uani’ Unga, who led the Giants in total tackles this preseason and who looked every bit the part of a NFL middle linebacker, could be getting his first NFL start Sunday night.

“I think he’s tough; I think he’s an extremely intelligent football player, and that’s what makes him, him.” Beason said of Unga. “He takes coaching extremely well and when you see a guy who wants it, you want to help him out.

“I love to see him go out there and make plays, to get guys lined up, make checks and be confident because he is kind of a mild-mannered person. To get him out there, making checks and screaming, it’s good to see. I was happy when he made the team and now he’s here and he’s going to help us out tremendously.”

If Unga is pressed into starting action, he might not see much time on the field as the Giants will likely go with sub-packages rather than their base defense.

As for who will wear the radio in his helmet if Beason is sidelined, chances are that veteran J.T. Thomas will get that role.

WR Dwayne Harris

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

On Sunday, Dwayne Harris returns to AT&T Stadium, where he played the first four years of his NFL as a member of the Cowboys.  

You think he’s just a tad excited about that trip?

Maybe a smidge, especially now that he has a friendly competition on tap with former teammate Lance Dunbar, a backup running back and Cowboys special teams player.

“He called me Friday last week and said he’s gonna have more special teams tackles than me,’’ Harris told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “He already knows who’s gonna win that battle.’’

Of late, the Giants special teams have been, shall we say inconsistent and, at times, woeful. They can only hope that Harris, who in addition to returning punts and kickoffs will work as one of the punt gunners, is the missing ingredient that propels the unit back to respectability.

RB Shane Vereen

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

If the Giants hope to move the chains against the Cowboys, they’re going to have to get their running backs involved.

One such back who could be very instrumental in helping the cause is Shane Vereen.

As a receiving threat out of the backfield, Vereen, who per Pro Football Focus led the Giants this preseason with 12.3 yards per reception (minimum of two receptions), should help discourage the Cowboys linebackers from getting a head start in dropping back into coverage.

That could potentially open things up for other receivers as Dallas will have to keep an eye on the shifty Vereen, who has surprisingly good speed in running wide and then turning things up the field.  

It also wouldn't be surprising if Vereen's total touches as both a runner and pass receiver lead the Giants in this game as he can have that big of an impact on things.

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo purposely kept things vanilla regarding some of the looks involving Vereen in the preseason with the best still yet to come.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow @Patricia_Traina.