The 2012 NFL season kicks off on Wednesday night with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Dallas is hoping to wash away the memories of last season, when the Giants were victorious in both games against the team.
The wins included a season finale showdown that decided the NFC East division title where New York won 31-14. The win propelled the Giants into the playoffs, where they eventually beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
In the two games against the Cowboys, New York used an offensive attack and a successful pass rush to win, including nine total sacks of quarterback Tony Romo.
Eli Manning put up great stats against the Cowboys, including 400 yards passing and two touchdowns in the Week 14 matchup and 346 yards and three touchdowns in the season finale.
Back in that Week 14 game, the Cowboys looked as if they were in control against the Giants, up 34-22 before Manning put together two scoring drives to put New York up 37-34. As time was winding down in the fourth quarter, Dallas was able to line up for a game-tying field goal, but it was blocked by the hand of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
The win ended a four game losing streak for the Giants and left them with a 7-6 record. The next week the team lost to the Washington Redskins for the second time to fall to 7-7 before starting a six game win streak that made them champions.
On Christmas Eve the Giants used a 99-yard touchdown pass from Manning to wideout Victor Cruz to propel them to a win against the New York Jets before facing off against Dallas in the finale matchup.
The Cowboys and Giants were both 8-7 in that Week 17 matchup and the division title was on the line. The Giants got off to an early lead, going up 21-0 at halftime before the Cowboys scored two touchdowns to cut it to 21-14. But it never got closer than that. After a field goal to go up 24-14, the Giants put the game out of reach with a touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks to seal the win at 31-14.
The following week the Giants hosted the Falcons in the first round of the playoffs, handily winning 24-2. The team continued its run against the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers before emerging victorious against the Patriots at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
Many critics have commented that the Giants only won the championship after getting hot at the right time and that their 9-7 record wasn't worthy of a Super Bowl team.
"We've already showed people who we are," safety Antrel Rolle said according to the Associated Press. "We can care less about that. We leave that up to spectators. We're just going out there and playing ball. And that is what it is all about. We can care less about what kind of recognition we are getting or who is crowning us and who is not crowning us. None of that matters coming into the 2012 season."
The Giants will be looking to silence those critics on Wednesday night and a big part of that will be on the shoulders of wide receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, who had a combined 25 catches and over 400 yards against Dallas in two games last season.
Nicks broke his foot earlier this offseason and has worked hard to rehab so he could play in the opener. Although he missed the first three preseason games, Nicks is expected to start.
The Cowboys enter the season with high expectations and will feature some new players that were brought in specifically to counter the Giants' explosive offense. Dallas signed free agent cornerback Brandon Carr to a $50-milllion dollar contract and also traded up to draft defensive back Morris Claiborne out of LSU with their first round pick.
Dallas will also look to exploit the Giants secondary with receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. The defensive backfield for New York has been riddled with injuries for the second straight season.
Cornerback Terrell Thomas will miss his second year in a row with an ACL injury and starting cornerback Prince Amukamara, a first round draft pick from last year, will miss time after hurting his ankle in the preseason. Rookie Jayron Hosley has also been sidelined with a toe injury.
The Cowboys have a few significant injuries; starting nose tackle Jay Ratliff will miss the game, while tight end Jason Witten is listed as doubtful after injuring his spleen.
The last time the Giants were coming off a Super Bowl win in 2008, the team started off 10-1 and looked like the best team in the league before receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in a nightclub. The team finished the season 2-3 and eventually lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.
This year they will be hoping to get off to a good start, considering New York has one of the toughest schedules in the league.
"I'm excited about the opportunity for this game, playing at home as the defending Super Bowl champs," veteran offensive tackle David Diehl said to the Associated Press. "This is a huge game. This is a game the minute that schedule came out we had circled as a team, but also we know the minute that we beat them in the division to take over last season, this was a game they had circled right from the get-go."
The game will mark Quarterback Eli Manning's 120th consecutive regular season start in his career, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. He is 68 games behind his brother Peyton on the all-time list.
The Giants will also feature some new faces in the game, including first round draft pick David Wilson. The explosive and quick rookie from Virginia Tech will take over as backup running back for Brandon Jacobs, who signed with San Francisco in the offseason.
It also will be the first time since 2001 that replacement referees will work a regular season NFL game. The NFL and the Referees Association have yet to come to an agreement after having replacements work the preseason.
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