Preview, predictions and what to watch for

Paul’s pick: Maybe Ezekiel Elliott is so rusty he fumbles a couple of times and some alert defender picks the ball off the turf and runs it in for a couple of touchdowns. Maybe Saquon Barkley is so special he cannot be contained and all Eli Manning has to do is make a few plays here and there. As openers go, this is a tough one.

Score prediction: Cowboys 31, Giants 17

Marquee matchup: Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence vs. Giants RT Mike Remmers

When it was reported the Giants were sticking with Eli Manning this season, Lawrence posted a hands-together emoji on Twitter, signifying he was praying this was true. Lawrence takes delight in trolling Manning. On Manning taking sacks, Lawrence once said, “Sometimes it’s smart football and sometimes I feel like it’s fear. Take it how you want.” In eight games against the Giants, Lawrence has three sacks and eight quarterback hits on Manning. Lawrence, coming off shoulder surgery, has 25 sacks the past two seasons. Remmers was signed for assignments like this. The 30-year old had back surgery this offseason and missed some practice time this week. He is tasked with keeping Lawrence quiet, at least on the field.

4 downs

Improving on perfection: As Ezekiel Elliott attempts to find his form after missing the entire summer in a contract holdout, the Giants trot out their own star running back. Is there anything Saquon Barkley can do for an encore after his mega-productive rookie year? Well, in Week 2 in 2018 he struggled to a season-low 28 yards against the Cowboys. In the season finale, he ran for 109 yards on the Cowboys. Barkley learned to recognize more quickly what he was seeing, and five of his seven 100-yard rushing games came in the second half of his first season.

Takes one to know one: Jason Garrett came out of Princeton and somehow lasted a dozen NFL years — three with the Giants — almost exclusively as a backup quarterback. He’s been preparing to face Manning every year since 2011, when he became the Cowboys’ head coach.

“Eli has been one of the great players at that position throughout his career,’’ Garrett said. “His résumé speaks for itself. We’ve had the chance to compete against him a couple times a year for a long time, and he’s a great football player. He’s a great ambassador to the National Football League and has been so great for the Giants organization and for the NFL throughout those 16 years. I hold him to the highest regard. He’s been a really good player for a long time, and there’s no question in our mind that he still is. He’s an elite quarterback.’’

Any happy returns? The loss of Corey Coleman for the season with a knee injury cost the Giants their best kickoff returner. That role now falls to Cody Latimer — a secure pair of hands who is not going to ignite a fire — and rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine. Jabrill Peppers on punt returns is the best chance to make something happen, but he was not a breakout star doing it the past two years for the Browns.

“You know how we do it,’’ special teams coach Thomas McGaughey said. “It’s always kind of a hodge-podge.’’ Still, McGaughey says, “Jabrill has the ability to take it to the house.’’

No fear factor: Think of it: Is there any Giants player on defense who would cause an opposing offensive coordinator to lose a minute of sleep? This is a problem, and why this unproven and quite likely under-talented unit is going to have to be technically sound and a bit lucky to have much success. The Giants believe in the youthful skill of Lorenzo Carter, Peppers, B.J. Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson and rookies Dexter Lawrence and DeAndre Baker. That is six players age 25 or younger filling prominent roles, plus taking a flier on Tae Davis, 24, as a starting linebacker. Can all this newness and inexperience get it done right away?

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