Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants 2012 NFL week 1 point spreads

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants will begin their title-defense against the team they used as a steppingstone to get into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys will be making a trip to MetLife Stadium in week 1 of the 2012 NFL season, as they try and avenge last year’s playoff-less memories.

This NFC East showdown officially kicks off a brand new season of NFL football beginning Wednesday night September 5, 2012, at 8:30 PM ET on NBC Sports. Since it’s never too early to begin discussing the upcoming 2012 NFL week 1 points spreads, let’s take a closer look how these old rivals matchup in the opener.

According to NFL oddsmakers, the G-Men [-3] are an early betting odds favorite to defeat the ‘Boys [+3] by a field goal. In addition, the projected OVER/UNDER line for this game is set at a combined total of 47 points. Sign up to receiver free 2012 NFL Picks from the best baseball experts in the world right here!

The last time these teams met dates back to week 17 of last season at the Meadowlands. The scenario and the stakes were very simple that night: winner moved on to the postseason and the loser went home empty handed and nothing to show for.

With a banged up Romo (29/37, 289 yards, 1 TDs, INT), the Giants defense was superb at making the Cowboys offense one-dimensional. Limiting Dallas’ rushing attack to under 50 yards for the game, the G-Men rallied behind Eli Manning (24/33, 346 yards, 3 TDs) to come away with an easy 31-14 victory. In the end, Romo & Co. went into yet another offseason full of criticism and under accomplishments.

“You can’t make excuses,” said the eighth-year Cowboys signal-caller after the loss. “Either you win or you go home. Give them credit for coming in here and being ready. This is not going to sit well with me or anyone else on this team. It should fuel the fire to come back, but right now, it hurts.”

So, what have the Cowboys done to get better this season and can they compete with the Giants for the NFC East crown? Here’s what they did in the 2012 NFL Draft:

• 6^th pick: Morris Claiborne (CB) from LSU
• 81^st pick: Tyrone Crawford (DE) from Boise State
• 113^th pick: Kyle Wilber (OLB) from Wake Forest
• 135^th pick: Matt Johnson (DB) from Eastern Washington
• 152^nd pick: Danny Coale (WR) from Virginia Tech
• 186^th pick: James Hanna (TE) from Oklahoma
• 222^nd pick: Caleb McSurdy (LB) from Montana

Dallas finished the season 8-8, with a whopping 2-4 record against divisional opponents and went 6-6 when facing intra-conference teams. Romo finished the year with 4184 yards, 31 TDs, 10 INTs and 5 fumbles.

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