Cowboys Mailbag: Losing opener to Giants could portend another ho-hum season

Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer

The NFC East

If the Cowboys lose their season opener, it's quite possible they could be in a deep 0-3 hole in the NFC East by Week 11.

Dallas opens at home against Eli Manning and the New York Giants on Sept. 9. The Cowboys don't play another division game until Nov. 4, when they travel to battle Donovan McNabb-led Philadelphia.

If Dallas loses both of those games, its Nov. 11 clash with the Giants at the Meadowlands becomes a must-win affair.

And that could be bad news for the Cowboys with the Giants coming off a bye after having played Miami on Oct. 28 in London.

Bottom line: Wade Phillips better have the Cowboys ready to play in the opener.

Opening with a loss to a division foe could set the tone for the rest of the season. And an 0-3 start is possible considering the Cowboys travel in Week 2 to steamy Miami, where the Dolphins are usually tough to beat in September, and then journey to Chicago in Week 3 to play the defending NFC champs.