When the 2007 season began, many critics and NFL enthusiasts were very skeptical of the Giants’ chances this year. There had been off-season bickering amongst the players and towards ex-RB Tiki Barber along with a nasty holdout by DE Michael Strahan during training camp. The chemistry appeared to be unraveling right before their eyes.

Then came Game One in Big D. The Giants immediately exposed Dallas’ secondary to take an early lead and was only down 17-16 at the half.

That was before all hell broke loose.

RB Brandon Jacobs, DE Osi Umenyiora, and QB Eli Manning all suffered injuries at different points of the game. The offense found ways to score but the defense was atrocious. While they displayed resiliency, New York seemed affected by all the turmoil that they went through the last couple of months.

Dallas meanwhile introduced Jason Garrett to the NFL by blowing open the lid on the offensive can nailed in place by Bill Parcells. They racked up 478 total yards on offense and Tony Romo shined like the North Star on a crystal clear winter night in Alaska.

This Sunday, you are going to see two teams that are not the same squads that faced each other in Week 1. Both teams are healthy and this is especially true for Dallas who did not have Greg Ellis, Terence Newman, or Tank Johnson on the field. The Giants went on a six-game win streak starting with Game 3 while Dallas continued to roll despite a flat tire vs. the unconscious Patriots. Each team has a ton of momentum going into this Meadowlands showdown.

The Dallas O-line is also playing extremely well compared to the beginning of the season but the NY D-line has been making headlines with its physical play and getting to the QB. This trench warfare will be excellent to watch and will be vital to determine the winner.

A win by NY is critical if it wants to stay in the NFC East race as a loss will put them two games behind Dallas and give them two losses to Dallas this year so that is almost like being four games behind. The Cowboys meanwhile must find a way to win for it to get back home next week to face the Redskins and wrap up this extremely critical three-game stretch against divisional foes.

This is not the same Giants team (especially on defense) that Dallas faced early on, but this is not the same Cowboys team either. I see Dallas struggling a little early on as they find their footing, and then watch Jason Garrett take out his can opener.

Other notes and observations entering Game 10: 

• In the first two games of the season, NY surrendered 80 points. In the last six games, they given up 79.
• NT Tank Johnson will play in his first NFL game since last year’s Super Bowl loss to Indy as a member of the Bears following his 8-game suspension by The Commish.
• There was a Fan Value Experience poll taken on all 32 NFL stadiums, and Texas Stadium ranked 26th. You can read about what determined the ranking by going to http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/01/fvi.intro/index.html?eref=T1
• Dallas 31  NY Giants 19