Cowboys vs. Giants Week 1 Tracker: Injury updates, predictions, storylines and more

If you're not nervous for the start of a new Dallas Cowboys season, then what the heck were the past seven months of anticipation for? Your emotions will be put to the test when the Cowboys and New York Giants lock horns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.

The NFL loves pitting these two rivals against each other to open the year. And they usually meet on Sunday Night Football, so football is officially back.

The Cowboys have dominated the Giants during the Dak Prescott era. Prescott hasn't lost to New York in a game he started and finished since his rookie season 10 years ago. That is both reassuring and terrifying. A loss would arguably feel worse than a win would feel inspiring.

All told, this should be a fun game, and we're here to get you prepared with the latest injury updates, storylines to watch, expert predictions, and more.

1. How to watch Cowboys vs. Giants in Week 1
2. Cowboys injury report for Week 1
3. Giants injury report for Week 1
4. Biggest Cowboys storylines heading into Week 1
5. Predictions for Cowboys vs. Giants in Week 1

Last updated: Friday, September 11 at 4:30 pm ET.

How to watch Cowboys vs. Giants in Week 1

• Date: Sunday, September 13
• Time: 7:20 p.m. CT
• TV Network: NBC
• Announcers: Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color analyst), Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporting)

The Cowboys play in primetime six times this season, so get used to late kickoffs. They play on Sunday Night Football two more times -- in Week 6 and Week 15.

Cowboys injury report for Week 1

Malik Davis is out after suffering a hip injury in Friday's practice. He's the only Cowboy ruled out. Everyone else is good to go. Ajani Cornelius, Jonathan Bullard, and Luke Schoonmaker, who missed Thursday's practice due to personal reasons, are all good to go.

Giants injury report for Week 1

Biggest Cowboys storylines heading into Week 1

How improved is the defense?

Improvement on the defensive side of the ball isn't just a huge Cowboys storyline; it's a crucial storyline for the NFL season. All you've heard this offseason is that new coordinator Christian Parker just has to take this group from helpless to league-average for Dallas to be dangerous.

Parker's influence was on full display all summer, as his unit was competitive in the team's joint practice with the LA Rams, who ranked second in EPA per play last season. Even Dallas' third- and fourth-stringers were buttoned up in the preseason, which is a testament to an improved scheme but, more importantly, Parker's attention to detail.

That brings us to the personnel. Caleb Downs. Quinnen Williams' first full season in Dallas. Jalen Thompson. Rashan Gary. Cobie Durant. Dee Winters. Jaishawn Barham. Von Miller. Otitio Ogbonnia. Go look at Dallas' starting defense from Week 1 of last season and their coordinator, and tell me you don't expect improvement.

The question, though, is how improved they are. Sunday night won't paint a full picture, but it'll offer a glimpse.

How does the offense look without Tyler Smith?

A host of offenses would take a seismic step back after losing an All-Pro offensive lineman. The Cowboys, though, have too much talent on offense to suffer too much without Tyler Smith, who'll miss the next 4-6 weeks after undergoing thumb surgery.

It helps that Dak Prescott has elite awareness and is unfazed by a collapsing pocket. It also helps having two elite receivers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

Having logged over 1,000 snaps at left and right guard over three seasons in Dallas, T.J. Bass is a very capable backup. If there's one area the offense might take a step back in, it's running the football, as Bass is better at pass protection than creating movement in the run game.

However, Klayton Adams is one of the more innovative run designers in the league, and Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, and Terence Steele are all very good run blockers. Smith's absence will be felt, but the Dallas offense should still function at a high level while he recovers.

How real was Shavon Revel's excellent training camp?

The Cowboys still haven't announced who will start opposite DaRon Bland. Whether it's Revel or Cobie Durant, both cornerbacks are going to play a lot after engaging in a tightly contested competition in training camp.

Revel, in particular, looked like the player who was a consensus first-round prospect before suffering a torn ACL in his final year at East Carolina. No matter which pass-catcher lined up across from him, Revel stayed glued in coverage and consistently put himself in position to make a play on the ball.

The second-year CB now must show he can hold up in a real NFL game. He improved his stock as much as any Cowboy this summer, but it will mean nothing if he can't carry that momentum into the regular season.

If he can, Dallas may have a cornerback they can trust on an island to shut down one side of the field. We'd have to reset expectations for Christian Parker's defense if that comes to pass. But nobody knows how he'll look.

Predictions for Cowboys vs. Giants in Week 1

ESPN Experts

• Matt Bowen - Cowboys 
• Pamela Maldonado - Cowboys 
• Lindsey Thiry - Cowboys 
• Ben Solak - Cowboys 
• Jeremy Fowler - Cowboys 
• Dan Graziano - Cowboys 
• Eric Moody - Cowboys
• Jason Reid - Cowboys 
• Seth Wickersham - Cowboys 
• Mike Clay - Cowboys

NFL Media

• Colleen Wolfe- Cowboys
• Kevin Patra - Cowboys
• Bucky Brooks - Cowboys
• Brandon Perna - Cowboys
• Dan Parr - Cowboys
• Lance Zierlein - Cowboys
• Tom Grossi - Cowboys
• Nick Shook - Cowboys
• Grant Gordon - Cowboys

• Brooke Cersosimo - Giants

Bleacher Report Experts

• Gary Davenport - Cowboys
• Kristopher Knox - Cowboys 
• Moe Moton - Cowboys 
• Brent Sobleski Cowboys

• Brad Gagnon - Giants 
• Ian Hanford - Giants 
• Wes O’Donnell - Giants

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