TryThe New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys clash on Sunday in what is set to be a spectacular opening to the 2016 NFL regular season for both teams. The game is one of three late afternoon starts on Sunday, and takes place from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington with a start time of 4.25 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on TV on the Fox network, or online through live stream via the link below.
The Cowboys were completely toothless without Tony Romo last season, managing only one win from the 12 games they had to start without him. So it will be interesting to see how they manage this season, having been given all pre-season to prepare for his absence.
Rookie fourth round pick Dan Prescott will step into Romo's shoes for this season opener against the Cowboys. Prescott had a fantastic preseason with a 137.8 passer rating, 78 percent completion rate, as well as five touchdowns, no interceptions, and two rush touchdowns.
All signs are that Prescott has the ability to succeed where the Cowboys failed last season, although the intensity of the regular season is sure to be a significant jump from the preseason.
Romo could be out for 6-10 weeks, according to some estimates, although some others have predicted it could be more like 10-12 weeks.
Dallas head coach Jason Garrett has said, "You try to come up with some kind of a timeline for when the player is going to be available. In Tony's case, the IR term is for eight weeks and we feel like, given what the injury is and the progress he's made, we feel at this point we want to do that. We don't want to eliminate him from eight weeks of our schedule. He's making progress. We take his situation day by day and week by week and we're optimistic he can return."
Earlier this week, on NFL Thursday Night Football, the season opener took place between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. The re-match of last season's Super Bowl was a hard-fought affair, but ultimately the result came out the same as Super Bowl 50, with the Broncos taking the win.
However, Thursday's game was a much closer match up than last season's showcase game, and by the end Denver only won the game by a single point in a 21-20 victory.
Early-on in the game especially, fans could feel the intensity that Carolina entered the re-match with, and if there was any doubt that the Panthers were out for revenge, that was confirmed right away as the Carolina defense began super aggressively, successfully disrupting Trevor Siemian. By half time the Broncos quarterback had only completed 8 of 12 passes for 92 yards, throwing one interception in the process.
The impressive Panthers went in at half time with a healthy 17-7 lead, however, things it proved to be a game of two halves, and the Broncos emerged vastly improved for the second half. In particular, the Broncos' defense showed signs of the form that took them all the way to Super Bowl glory last season.
Although Cam Newton had a strong first half, he was hit hard in the third quarter by DeMarcus Ware as he suffered his first sack of the season. Newton went down injured, and although he returned to the action, he looked a different player after that incident.
The Broncos went on to sack Newton three times in the second half as the Panthers' offense was put under intense and repeated pressure. The Carolina offense was so effectively shut down that they only managed to score three points through the entire second half.
Denver turned the screw in the fourth quarter and went into the final minutes with a 21-20 lead. The Panthers managed one final dramatic sustained drive, but a 50-yard field goal attempt went wide at the death to hand the Broncos an opening day win, and leave the Panthers to ponder what more they must do to defeat Denver.
Fans were left breathless by the final whistle, and many commented that this was the dramatic game they wish they had in last season's Super Bowl.
Week 1 continues Sunday with the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys facing off from 4.25 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on TV on the Fox network or online through live stream by clicking here.
