The first Sunday of the 2023 NFL season ends with two rivals going at it. The Dallas Cowboys are in East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football. The game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET and air on NBC and Peacock.
The Cowboys are coming off a 2022 season where they finished with a 12-5 record and clinched a playoff spot. However, Dallas fell short in their quest for a Super Bowl, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. The Cowboys will look a little different as running back Ezekiel Elliott is no longer with the team. But quarterback Dak Prescott is back, and the Cowboys are hoping he can get them places they haven’t been since the 1990s.
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When speaking to reporters in July, Prescott said the stakes get higher for him as he gets older. “One thousand percent,” Prescott said, per the team’s official website. “Just understanding injuries and what I’ve been [through] throughout my career and understanding that you don’t have forever to play this game. I’m blessed for every moment that I get. Just trying to take it with a sense of urgency.”
The Giants also qualified for the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record last season. They defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round but lost to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round. Quarterback Daniel Jones seems to be the guy for the Giants after throwing for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions last year. Jones also rushed for 708 yards and seven scores, so he brings a lot of athleticism to the table.
But what makes the Giants offense go is running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. Barkley is playing with a chip on his shoulder after signing the franchise tag offered by the Giants. “I kind of see last year was kind of like a rookie year, I guess,” Barkley said, per ESPN. “Not my rookie year obviously, it was Year 5. But being back on the scene and showing what I am capable of doing and now how can I take it to another level. Whether that is in-between the tackles, outside the tackles catching the ball, running routes, showing why I was drafted No. 2. I felt I was able to do that last year.
“But now I want to take it to a whole other level and be special. Everyone I talk to about the legacy and the names on these walls and in this locker room and that indoor facility, that’s what I want to be a part of. Hopefully, I can start off to a great start and go on a high note in Week 1.”
