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The NFL season opens Wednesday with a prime-time matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and defending Super Bowl champions New York Giants, and no later than that will Giants quarterback Eli Manning put the Cowboys' newly upgraded secondary to the test.
In two games against the Cowboys last season, Eli Manning was 51 of 80 for 746 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
But the Cowboys will visit MetLife Stadium on Wednesday night with two new starting cornerbacks. One is Brandon Carr, a former Chiefs corner the Cowboys signed as a free agent to a five-year deal worth $50 million. The other is rookie Morris Claiborne who, out of LSU, went sixth overall in the 2012 NFL draft. Claiborne played well during the preseason, but defending against Manning and his group of receivers is another thing entirely.
According to Tom Archer at ESPNDallas.com, Carr is looking forward to the challenge of containing Manning.
"He’s an elite quarterback," Carr sad. "He carries himself that way. He runs his offense the exact same way. I haven’t seen too many throws he can’t make. He has a lot of faith and trust in his offensive scheme and his receivers that if he puts it in the right situation, the right spot, they’ll make a play on it. They’re two of the most explosive in the game right now with Cruz and Nicks. I know they’re going to try to get those guys the ball. In the secondary, we’ve got to bring our A game and match that intensity on each play."
The game will air Wednesday on NBC at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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