The NFL could have been a bit more creative with the opponent for the Super Bowl champion Giants, who will host Kickoff Weekend at MetLife Stadium. Instead of sizzle, the league went with tradition and so it will be the Cowboys paying a visit for the nationally-televised opener on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 8:30 p.m.
Of course, there’s rarely a dull moment when it’s Giants-Cowboys, combatants that square off twice a year and there’s no love lost with these NFC East rivals. The Giants saved their 2011 season with a 37-34 victory at Dallas in Week 14 – thanks to a blocked field goal attempt by Jason Pierre-Paul. And three weeks later, in the regular-season finale, clinched the division title and eliminated the Cowboys with a resounding 31-14 victory.
This will be the ninth straight year the defending Super Bowl champs host the NFL Kickoff game. The defending champs have won the previous eight. That includes the Giants, who opened the 2008 season with a 16-7 win over the Redskins after winning Super Bowl XLII.
All previous eight games were played on a Thursday night; this one was moved to Wednesday to avoid conflict with President Obama’s Thursday night speech to the Democratic National Convention.
This will be the second straight year the Giants begin a season against the same team they faced in the previous regular season finale. Last year, it was the Redskins in the opener. This will be the Giants’ first Wednesday game since Oct. 3, 1934, a 14-12 victory over the Steelers. The last NFL game played on a Wednesday was on Sept. 22, 1948, when the Los Angeles Rams beat the Lions, 44-7.