The NFL announced yesterday that the Giants will host the Cowboys in the '12 season opener on Sept. 5. NBC will televise the game, which is being held on a Wednesday night to avoid a conflict with the Democratic National Convention (NFL). In N.Y., Gary Myers notes the game will be the third straight time the Giants and Cowboys "have met in a prime-time matchup," including the '11 season finale. The selection of the Cowboys to play the defending Super Bowl champs was a "mild surprise since the Packers are also on the Giants’ home schedule." The Giants and Packers "not only would’ve been a rematch of a divisional playoff game, but it would’ve pitted the last two Super Bowl champs against each other." However, Giants-Cowboys has been "ratings gold for NBC, which will televise the game nationally." Five of the top 10 "most-watched NFL games on NBC have featured the Cowboys" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/28). In Milwaukee, Tom Silverstein notes there had been "much speculation that the Packers ... would be making the trek to MetLife Stadium for a Wednesday night opener." Instead, the NFL "went for the slam dunk" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/28). In N.Y., Paul Schwartz noted the NFL "could have been a bit more creative" with the first game of the season, but instead the league "went with tradition" (NYPOST.com, 3/27). YAHOO SPORTS' Chris Chase noted the season opener will be "only the second divisional matchup in the 10-year history of the game" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/27). In Ft. Worth, Clarence Hill Jr. writes considering the "juicy subplots of the past few days" with Giants President & CEO John Mara "spearheading the league's decision to hit the Cowboys" with a $10M salary cap penalty for spending money in the uncapped year of '10, the "only thing missing would be Cowboys owner Jerry Jones taking on Mara in the octagon before the game" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/28).
| NBC'S TOP 10 MOST-VIEWED NFL REGULAR-SEASON GAMES
SINCE RE-ACQUIRING RIGHTS PRIOR TO '06 SEASON |
| DATE | MATCHUP | RATING | VIEWERS (000) |
| 1/1/12 | Cowboys-Giants | 15.7 | 27,624 |
| 9/9/10 | Vikings-Saints (Kickoff game) | 16.5 | 27,485 |
| 9/8/11 | Saints-Packers (Kickoff game) | 16.0 | 27,169 |
| 9/11/11 | Cowboys-Jets | 15.3 | 25,766 |
| 12/12/10 | Eagles-Cowboys | 15.2 | 25,728 |
| 10/24/10 | Vikings-Packers | 15.4 | 25,675 |
| 9/12/10 | Cowboys-Redskins | 15.0 | 25,262 |
| 9/20/09 | Giants-Cowboys | 15.1 | 24,817 |
| 12/11/11 | Giants-Cowboys | 14.9 | 24,516 |
| 12/19/10 | Packers-Patriots | 14.0 | 24,166 |
| | | | |
POTENTIAL MATCHUPS: The PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS examined the possible Thanksgiving matchups this season and asked, "This is idle speculation, but what would you think about Eagles-Cowboys on Thanksgiving?" The Lions and the Cowboys will "host the afternoon games as usual, and the night game moves around." NBC will "air the evening affair instead of the NFL Network," and the Lions are playing an AFC opponent, meaning the Cowboys will play an NFC opponent. That means the Cowboys will host either the Eagles, Redskins, Giants, Buccaneers, Saints or Bears (PHILLY.com, 3/26).
