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How important is week 1 at Dallas?

Sean in PA : 7/24/2013 7:33 am
Obviously last year off the Super Bowl, the Giants opened at Metlife against Dallas and lost. A few weeks later they lost to Philly on the road which led to an 0-2 start in the division.

Later in the year, the Giants were in a very bad spot tiebreaker wise for the division with the Redskins & Cowboys. Often times we hear about how it's early and it's not a huge deal, but I'd argue it is. Losing early road division games aren't as bad as home division games, but I don't want to see this team start in a hole in the division again.

Looking back at the Giants last year, losing to Dallas, and on the road to Philly & Washington is what cost them a playoff spot.

How much importance is on the opening SNF game?
going 0-2 in the division  
I Love Clams Casino : 7/24/2013 7:57 am : link
early is why the Giants were out of the playoffs.

Every division game regardless of the spot on the schedule is monumentally important.
....  
Stu : 7/24/2013 8:06 am : link
Since the N.F.L. realigned the divisions in 2002, 52.3 percent of 1-0 teams made the playoffs compared with just 22.7 percent of teams that dropped their first game.
as Simms sadi to D. Brown:  
Victor in CT : 7/24/2013 8:11 am : link
Just win the game.
Stu  
Big Blue '56 : 7/24/2013 8:16 am : link
and the other 25%?

;)
Took it from a NYT article.  
Stu : 7/24/2013 8:21 am : link
....
Seeing as we lost in Dallas Week 1 of 2007..  
arcarsenal : 7/24/2013 8:23 am : link
...and lost in Washington in Week 1 of 2011...

I'd say it doesn't mean all that much.

Obviously you'd rather win the game and get off on the right foot. But it's not a huge deal either way. Just makes things a little easier.
So the Times was saying it was not news fit to print?  
Big Blue '56 : 7/24/2013 8:23 am : link
.
Arca,  
Big Blue '56 : 7/24/2013 8:24 am : link
the question should be, "How important is it to start 6-2?"

;)
Yeah..  
arcarsenal : 7/24/2013 8:25 am : link
I feel pretty confident we'll wind up 6-2 somehow at the midway point :)
arc..  
Aaron Thomas : 7/24/2013 8:29 am : link
you can add week 1 to Dallas in 1986 to that list.
Extremely Importan  
KarenP : 7/24/2013 8:32 am : link
I'm going to the game and want to enjoy a victory!
I thought that loss to Dallas in 86 was at home  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 8:33 am : link
.
56  
MetsAreBack : 7/24/2013 8:37 am : link
why must this kind of thing add up to 100%?

Only 37% of teams make the playoffs in a given year.

I know you were probably just making jokes - but I dont find Math jokes funny damnit.
Nope I was wrong that was the game in 86 at Dallas  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 8:40 am : link
28-31
MetAreBack  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 8:42 am : link
I don't think that was a math joke. How sdo you weigh the merits of a post when the math they use in their argument appears to be wrong?
I dont follow  
MetsAreBack : 7/24/2013 8:44 am : link
who's math was wrong?
MetsAreBack  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 8:46 am : link
Stu's 8:06am post appears to be wrong
how does the math appear wrong?  
YAJ2112 : 7/24/2013 8:47 am : link
12 playoff teams, 16 teams will start 1-0 and 16 will start 0-1.

16 * .523 = 8.368
16 * .227 = 3.632

8.368 + 3.632 = 12

The math only appears wrong if you don't understand math.
Huge for  
TMS : 7/24/2013 8:47 am : link
division and conference tie breakers later. The following week, a loss against the Broncos, would have everyone in a panic for good reason. This board will get ugly fast.
It's big for us, but probably bigger for them.  
Big Blue Blogger : 7/24/2013 8:49 am : link
The Cowboys are at home, and their struggles there against the Giants have been costly.

In any case, it's just one game. If the Giants had simply beaten Washington last year, the early losses in Dallas and Philly would have been forgotten.
MAB,  
Big Blue '56 : 7/24/2013 8:50 am : link
yes, for me, it was a joke..Alas..;)
YAJ  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 8:54 am : link
I only said it appears to be wrong. At first glance you see 52.3 per cent of the 1-0 teams make the playoffs and 22.7 per cent of the 0-1 teams make it. If you don't think it all the way through you wonder where is the other 15 per cent.
wgen,  
Big Blue '56 : 7/24/2013 8:56 am : link
you mean 25..:)
How important was playing them in the first game LAST year?  
rnargi : 7/24/2013 8:56 am : link
....
I think  
YAJ2112 : 7/24/2013 8:56 am : link
you are the only one that had that problem.
OK  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 8:58 am : link
It was a poor joke
YAJ  
MetsAreBack : 7/24/2013 8:58 am : link
thank you

Why people think something like that needs to add to 100% i have no idea.

37% of teams make the playoffs
Half the teams start 0-1 = 22%
Half the teams start 1-0 = 52%

Obviously you average the 22% and 52%... what does that get you? Miraculously... 37%
YAJ  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 9:01 am : link
I did not have any problem. I did not comment on it until after someone else did. Anyway you are splitting hairs here.
Anyway, on topic....  
MetsAreBack : 7/24/2013 9:02 am : link

Last year's opener was far more important. Dropping home division games is far worse than dropping an opener on the road.

With that said, we made up for that by winning in Dallas...

problem last year was the awful Philly loss (OPI cost us the season, essentially). Dallas & Washington both played Philly 2x when they were in full out quit mode. We played them early in the year when they were at least competitive and beating teams like Baltimore too.
save the humor  
YAJ2112 : 7/24/2013 9:02 am : link
for funny people. Like Headhunter.
It is important because it is a  
MikeN in Ottawa : 7/24/2013 9:02 am : link
divisional game...and we need to be much better this year in terms of our divisional record. That being said...we've had great first half records that haven't worked out so well.

This team needs to not only FINISH but to play a 16 game season...not just the last few.

I want to see consistency of performance this season from opening day to week 17.
Translation ofr MikeN's post:  
MetsAreBack : 7/24/2013 9:03 am : link

I want to see the Giants go 12-4 this year.
I'm rarely wrong. Tell 'em, YAJ.....  
Stu : 7/24/2013 9:06 am : link
Clams post got me thinking as well. Not that I have the time or inclination to do this, but I wonder how that first week loss percentage would change as to making the playoffs if that loss was to a division rival.
Stu  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 9:15 am : link
I never sais you were wrong.
Typo  
wgenesis123 : 7/24/2013 9:16 am : link
Make that said
Its big for us  
BillyBoy8384 : 7/24/2013 9:52 am : link
I think were walking out a winner
Math fun aside,  
Giants Fan in Steelers Land : 7/24/2013 9:54 am : link
I would argue that winning early in the season is not super important even division games. Staying healthy is more important in the long run.

Take last year. Had the Giants won one or two of those opening division games and made the playoffs in all likelihood they get destroyed in the playoffs like they were in every "backs against the wall" game they faced last year.

It doesn't matter how you start (unless of course you play yourself out of the playoffs by week 8) what matters most is being reasonably healthy and playing your best ball when the weather gets colder.
YAJ 1  
bob in tx : 7/24/2013 9:56 am : link
rest(except Stu) 0
In all seriousness,  
Big Blue '56 : 7/24/2013 9:56 am : link
I'm not that concerned with a loss AT Dallas. Yes, we haven't lost yet in their new stadium, but it's still not an easy task to win on the road, especially on opening night..In fact, starting 0-2 would not be that much of a reach, though if Von Miller suspension stands, that would be huge for us..

If healthy, we'll be in the tourney imo
Not nearly as important as it will feel at the time  
Jerry in DC : 7/24/2013 10:09 am : link
Opening games are always overrated in every sport - it's just the nature of things. At that point, the single game is 100% of what you've seen from the team, so it's really easy to overreact, even for exceeding rational people. This effect holds even in long-season sports (people getting fired up for the MLB Opening Day, etc), although it's obviously not as strong because everyone knows there are lots of games to go.

Giants fans especially should know better than to overrate the early games in the season. We're 6-2 just about every year and we miss the playoffs quite a bit from that position. On the other hand, we've been given up for dead much, much later in the season and gone on to win Super Bowls.

It's a division game. Every game matters. It might end up being really important at the end of the year. Or Dallas might end up sucking. Or we might end up sucking. If we no-show in the 2nd half of the year again, a win at Dallas probably won't mean that much. Or maybe it will. Who knows? But I'd recommend to do your best not to overreact.
It depends on if the Giants win or lose  
vibe4giants : 7/24/2013 10:30 am : link
and then who says what in the aftermath of that result.

For instance, last year when the Giants lost their opener to the Cowboys, I remember reading on here that Boomer said that loss could cost the Giants a shot at the play-offs. And I read here what an idiot he was for placing so much importance on the first game of the season.
Tough question to answer  
BigBlueinChicago : 7/24/2013 12:15 pm : link
I guess you can look at it two ways.

1. Are you conceding a loss at home to Denver in Week 2?
2. What do you feel their division record will be?

There are some on BBI who have openly said the Giants will start 2013 at 0-2 and then win their next 7. If that is the case, than losing opening night means nothing.

But...if you feel that only 1 game is going to separate the 3 teams (Giants, Redskins and Cowboys), that you are better off stacking up the division wins as soon as possible to give you some leeway and avoiding all these "scenarios" in December rather than set up the whole season around winning the Week 17 game against the Redskins to make the playoffs.
The fact that it is week 1 is irrelevant  
UberAlias : 7/24/2013 1:53 pm : link
They count the same in the standings regardless of the week they are played. The fact that it is a division game is huge, as we saw up close a year ago.
There are some divisions that are clearly going to be 2 team race  
UberAlias : 7/24/2013 1:56 pm : link
In the NFC East, all four of the the teams are capable of contending. Getting one up on one of them and notching one towards a potential tie breaker is a big win.
Haven't we all learned this yet?  
Doomster : 7/24/2013 2:12 pm : link
It's how you finish!
Redskins after a 3-6 start  
blakjedi : 7/24/2013 2:14 pm : link
went 10-6 overall and 5-1 in the division

Last year I was mad because we were the first superbowl champs in the last 12 years to lose opening night...

this year they need to redeem themselves... not just that night but this whole season... Eli wont be young forever.
Lost Week 1 in Dallas in 1986.  
Exit 172 : 7/24/2013 2:15 pm : link
Lost Week 1 in Dallas in 2007.

You tell me.
The logic by some is flawed  
UberAlias : 7/24/2013 2:26 pm : link
The fact that they have overcome week 1 losses and gone on to win SB is hardly convincing that it is not important, unless you are arguing against it being season ending, which is a silly notion no one would make.

You have to make the playoffs to have a shot and division games are very important factors in playoff scenarios. Pay attention weeks 15 - 17 in any season and this is obvious.
Uber  
BigBlueinChicago : 7/24/2013 3:03 pm : link
Agree with you.

The easiest way into the playoffs is to win your division. The way to do that is win your division games.

The Redskins comeback from 3-6 to 10-6 was aided by them going 4-0 against the Eagles and Cowboys in addition to their win against us in December.

If we are trying to get the Giants to 10 wins, which we hope would safely win the NFC East, getting 4 division wins is important unless you believe the Giants are going to handle their business against the rest of the schedule.
This game is huge to win IMO  
giantgiantfan : 7/24/2013 3:05 pm : link
and here's why:
1. Dallas is changing defensive schemes and has a new defensive coordinator. Being week 1 the Giants have to capitalize on defensive confusion that is far less likely to exist when they meet again week 12.
2. Early win on the road makes it easier to sweep Dallas when we get them again week 12 at home.
3. Continue our unbeaten streak in their new home.
It would seem obvious division games are always important  
vibe4giants : 7/24/2013 3:07 pm : link
and yet...this thread.

Obvious is always in the eyes of the beholder.
It's in the top 6 of 16  
Gregorio : 7/25/2013 12:11 am : link
... because it's in the division. I suspect this will be a more important game for Dallas than NYG. Jerry Jones recent comment about preparing to beat the Giants in game 1 is alludes to this. Dallas has yet to beat Big Blue in their expensive, large televised, retractable domed house.... These losses may be getting deeper and deeper into Dallas's craw.

Greg
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