Sunday Night Football opens the season with the Dallas Cowboys at the New York Giants, the 128th regular season meeting in a rivalry that dates to 1960. Kickoff is 8:20 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium on NBC, and Dallas is a 2.5 point road favorite.
What time is Cowboys vs Giants, and what channel?
Sunday, September 13 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming on Peacock. It is the season’s first Sunday Night Football game and the only national window on Sunday night.
The matchup
This is one of the oldest and most watched rivalries in the sport, and the league put it in the opening Sunday night slot for a reason. Dallas is favored on the road, which is the notable part of the line: a 2.5 point road favorite in a division game means the market sees a clear gap between these rosters without expecting a blowout.
The 48.5 total is on the higher end of Week 1, tied with two other games for third highest on the board.
Prediction and odds
Cowboys -2.5. Road favorites of a field goal or less in division openers are close to a coin flip historically, but the number here is short enough that the pick is really just on the better team. Take the over as well given the number of prime time division games that turn into trading possessions in the fourth quarter.
Our pick: Cowboys 27, Giants 23.
The bottom line
The marquee window of opening Sunday, a rivalry with 127 previous regular season meetings behind it, and a spread short enough that the Giants at home are live. Prime time NFC East games rarely disappoint.