The New York Giants are entering a very important season for the franchise after missing the playoffs as defending Super Bowl champions and they will get things started off against a Dallas Cowboys team that is hungry to return to the postseason as well.

The Giants are traditionally a running and defense first team, but that's your father and grandfather's G-Men and not this team now. Eli Manning has been one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the league over the past few years and the Giants offense has been way more productive and consistent over the past couple years compared to the defense, which gives up way too many yards and needs to improve. One thing that will likely dictate the season for the Giants is whether the line can be strong up front and whether the team can get pressure on the quarterback.

The Giants usually have no need to worry about the pass rush, but last season Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul put up disappointing numbers and it was one reason why the defense couldn't stop anyone and why the team finished 9-7. Pierre-Paul is coming back from surgery this offseason and after it looked like he wouldn't play against the Cowboys in Week 1, but now it appears he will be ready after returning to practice. Victor Cruz is also likely to play after suffering a bruised heel and having Pierre-Paul back could be huge for the team.

Tuck was a disappointment last season and he looked much better in camp than he did at the end of the season and if he has a bounce back year, the Giants should be able to get more consistent pressure on the quarterback. Last season the team gave up over 125 yards per game on the ground and over 250 in the air and ranked in the bottom part of the NFL in both. If the team can improve the defense just a little bit, they should be in the mix for the NFC East divisional title.