(OddsShark.com) The Dallas Cowboys will open the defense of their NFC East division crown on Sunday Night Football, playing host to the division rival New York Giants as 6-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Cowboys ended a four-year playoff drought last season by capturing the NFC East title on the strength of a 12-4 record, and will be looking to continue their four-game straight up and against the spread winning streak they had built in the final month of the 2014 regular season.
Dallas is no stranger to the primetime stage, with Sunday’s Giants vs. Cowboys betting matchup at AT&T Stadium marking their 30th appearance on Sunday Night Football since the start of the 2006 season.
However, the Cowboys have been streaky at best on Sunday nights, compiling a 16-13 straight up record overall, but were a perfect 3-0 SU last season, 2-1 against the spread, including a 31-28 road victory over the Giants in which they failed to cover as 4.5-point road favorites.
Inconsistency has also marked the Cowboys’ recent performances at home, where they have picked up SU wins in their last two contests but are just 2-3 SU in their last five, including three outright losses as betting favorites.
The Giants return to action looking to rebound from a disappointing 6-10 season and missing the postseason for a third straight year.
New York finished the campaign on a somewhat positive note, picking up SU wins over the bottom-feeding Titans and Redskins before knocking off the Rams 37-27 as 6.5-point road underdogs, going 3-1 down the stretch both SU and ATS.
However, the Giants have enjoyed far less success on Sunday Night Football, going 9-14 SU in 23 appearances since 2006, including a 3-4 SU record against Dallas.
And New York’s struggles against the Cowboys have not been limited to primetime, with the Giants currently enduring a four-game SU losing streak against Dallas, 1-3 ATS, ending a strong 8-3 SU and ATS run in their previous 11 meetings according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
Regardless of who has emerged victorious, high scores have been a hallmark of Giants vs. Cowboys clashes in recent years, making it no surprise that the point total in Sunday’s game is pegged at 51.5.
Each of the last five matchups between these long-time rivals have played OVER the point total, pushing the OVER to 10-2 in their last 12 meetings.