After sludging through the preseason, it's finally time to watch some football that actually counts, as the Dallas Cowboys welcome the division-rival New York Giants to AT&T Stadium this Sunday.

On paper, the Cowboys appear to be the better team, especially since New York traded away Odell Beckham Jr. and Golden Tate is out because of suspension. However, it's never a good idea to overlook a divisional opponent, no matter what the spread may say (Dallas is favored by seven points).

Last year, the Giants finished 5-11, and the Cowboys were able to escape with two wins against the Giants; however, the Cowboys won by a combined eight points in their two victories, which demonstrates how tough division games can be.

With that in mind, let's take a look at a few key matchups to watch as the Cowboys take on the Giants Sunday afternoon.

Amari Cooper vs Janoris Jenkins

After missing most of the preseason, Amari Cooper will be back in action in the season-opener against the Giants, where he'll be pitted against one of the feistiest cornerbacks in the league - Janoris Jenkins.

Last year, Cooper missed the first meeting between these two teams but was active for the second in the season finale.

In that game, given New York's lack of talent at CB and Dallas' lack of receiving weapons outside of Cooper, the Giants decided to have Jenkins shadow Cooper for a large portion of the game. Jenkins didn't cover Cooper on every snap, especially when the defense was in some sort of zone coverage or when Cooper migrated to the slot (a place where Jenkins has struggled in coverage, which is why he aligned there only 7% of the time, per The Quant Edge), but he did travel to Cooper's side of the field regardless of the coverage.

While Cooper wasn't shut out, the Giants had to be happy with the results, as the Cowboys' star receiver was held to five catches for 31 yards on 11 targets (45.5% catch percentage; his lowest since joining Dallas), which is why it'd make sense if they used a similar strategy again this week.

Jenkins is a scary cornerback to face because of how much of a gambler he is while in coverage. Jenkins is known for his ability to jump routes to create interception opportunities. He almost turned one short pass into a pick-six last year against the Cowboys (below clip).

Near pick-6 by Janoris Jenkins pic.twitter.com/wT6QpPFkWG — All22Hype (@All22Hype) September 5, 2019

Jenkins is especially dangerous when he's defending a breaking route while stacked, or on top of the receiver, as it gives him the ability to read the quarterback's eyes and jump the route.

In these situations, Cooper needs to threaten Jenkins with speed by reducing Jenkins' cushion (getting on his toes) before the breakpoint in an attempt to get Jenkins to turn and flip his hips in anticipation of running downfield with Cooper, which will inherently make it impossible for him to jump a breaking route even if stacked on Cooper. The Alabama product could also use more nuance with his stem in order to deceive Jenkins at the breakpoint.

Moreover, Prescott must be mindful of Jenkins' location in regards to Cooper at all times because if he gets lazy and throws a breaking route mindlessly when the Giants star cornerback is stacked on Cooper, Jenkins could actually convert on the pick-six opportunity this time around, which is exactly the kind of play an inferior Giants team would need to stay in the game.

Jenkins' risky style is a double-edged sword, however, as his eagerness to jump routes often leaves him susceptible to double moves.

Amari Cooper beats Janoris Jenkins with a double move. pic.twitter.com/8ScqN0PAzB — All22Hype (@All22Hype) September 5, 2019

Last year, Cooper beat Jenkins with sluggo routes -- where the receiver acts like he's running a slant before cutting downfield and turning it into a go route -- twice on plays where he created a ton of separation on what would have been likely touchdowns.

On the first sluggo, Prescott was off-target and overthrew Cooper by a yard (above clip).On the second sluggo, Prescott was once again off-target as he threw it behind the open Cowboys receiver, which prevented another potential touchdown pass (below clip).

Amari Cooper gets open on slug pic.twitter.com/E1uIP2vKsU — All22Hype (@All22Hype) September 5, 2019

Expect the Cowboys to try and take advantage of Jenkins' aggressiveness by running Cooper on a few double moves throughout the game in an effort to test Jenkins' discipline.

Overall, Cooper is the superior player whose advanced route-running ability should enable him to find success in the passing game against Jenkins; however, he and Prescott must be mindful of Jenkins' ability to jump routes, or he can make the type of momentum-shifting plays that the underdog Giants need to pull out a victory.

DeMarcus Lawrence vs Mike Remmers

Quite possibly the biggest mismatch of the Sunday's contest will be Cowboys left defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence against Giants right tackle Mike Remmers. Making matters worse for the Giants is the fact that Remmers missed practice this week with what was labeled as a back injury/illness.

After spending a season at right guard in Minnesota, Remmers is moving back to his more natural position of right tackle with the Giants this year, where he's shown to be a solid-to-above-average player in the past.

Unfortunately for Remmers, above average won't get it done against Lawrence, who is one of the most well-rounded and effective defensive ends in the entire NFL.

Mike Remmers punching with outside hand pic.twitter.com/PxUwX08DfY — All22Hype (@All22Hype) September 5, 2019

When facing a defensive end who is attempting to attack his outside edge, one of Remmers' favorite techniques is a strong punch with his outside hand in an attempt to stymie the defender's momentum and knock him off his line to the quarterback. This can be effective (as evidenced in the above clip) when used with the proper timing and placement.

It's been great to watch DLaw mature & develop as a pass rusher. Used to be mostly effective with arm-over moves but this has been his signature rush in 2017.



Cross-chop club to clear hands. Notice how he starts turning hips mid air so he can take a tight angle to flatten to QB pic.twitter.com/YvEA7CyaZK — John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 1, 2017

However, Lawrence is extremely adept at countering a tackle's outside punch, as it syncs perfectly with his famous cross chop move (above clip is a great example). Lawrence has mastered the timing, placement and footwork associated with the cross chop, which is why he's continually successful with it despite the fact that opposing offensive linemen know it's coming.

Lawrence is outstanding at creating situations, whether it's deceptive footwork, feints or head nods, where the offensive lineman is forced to use an outside strike or lunge to make contact, which opens the opportunity for his most effective move.

Against the run, don't be surprised if Lawrence has even more success, as his power, pad level and quickness should enable him to effectively condense the edge or penetrate into the backfield against the run. Remmers often has late hands as a run blocker, which is a terrible tendency against someone who has advanced hands such as Lawrence.

While it's impossible to know if Dallas will have Lawrence on a snap count after missing the entire preseason, it's a solid bet that Lawrence will be on the field in any high-leverage situation.

The Giants will, more than likely, throw a lot of bodies Lawrence's way in an attempt to slow him down, but it won't happen every time. And in those situations where he's is matched up one-on-one against Remmers, look for the Lawrence to have a great deal of success.

Cowboys' front vs. Saquon Barkley

With Odell Beckham Jr. jettisoned to Cleveland along with the suspension to Golden Tate, Saquon Barkley is undoubtedly the primary enemy for the Cowboys defense Sunday.

If there's a running back in the NFL who can rival (or even top) Ezekiel Elliott, it's Barkley, who took home the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year honors last season after accumulating 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns from scrimmage.

Barkley is one of the most versatile and valuable running backs in the league, as he is a key cog in the Giants offense that can be used in a plethora of ways in both the running and passing games. Not only is Barkley successful on traditional runs but he's also extremely dangerous on screens or when targeted as a receiver out of the backfield.

Of course, #BaldysBreakdowns does fantastic work and noted Saquon Barkley doing his thang like this every week.



Let's break it down a little more, though. The footwork before and after the spin cycle is valuable intel. pic.twitter.com/7g0mMbYkl6 — Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 10, 2018

Despite being listed at 6-foot, 233 pounds (five pounds heavier than Elliott), Barkley is probably the most athletic running back in the NFL, as he uses outstanding lateral jump cuts, quick spin moves and almost unbelievable acceleration to slice and dice his way through opposing defenses.

Barkley is a big play waiting to happen, as his size and balance make him difficult to bring down while his athleticism enables him to elude defenders before finding space and creating big plays.

Barkley's skill and big-play ability will put a lot of pressure on the Cowboys' front-seven Sunday, as they will have to remain disciplined with their gap responsibility while also tackling consistently because one missed gap or tackle is all Barkley needs to turn a simple run or reception into a touchdown.

Typically, the death knell for any running back is penetration, as it doesn't allow the running back to generate momentum or read/follow the blocking scheme as he typically would; however, Barkley is the rare type of back who can avoid the penetration and create a big gain.

This is why it's incredibly important for the Cowboys' front-seven to remain conscious of their gap responsibility, as Barkley will often elude defenders or dance in the backfield, which often goads defenders out of their gaps. Just because Barkley is attempting to hit the front-side B-gap between the play-side guard and tackle, it doesn't mean Barkley can't jump cut into the back-side A-gap between the center and back-side guard if there's an opening.

The Cowboys linebackers have to be very mindful of tracking Barkley from the inside-out (below clip), as any over-pursuit will almost always result in Barkley cutting back to elude the pursuing linebacker.

Luckily for the Cowboys, they possess the exact type of personnel to combat the Giants' supremely talented running back. The Cowboys are blessed with three outstanding linebackers - Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee - who can play run and pass with equal ability. While Lee's athleticism has been sapped a bit with injuries and age, Smith and Vander Esch possess the kind of athleticism that should enable them to have a lot of success mirroring and chasing Barkley.

As long as Dallas' interior defensive line does a good job of not allowing New York's offensive line to quickly climb to the second level (as the Rams and Colts did last year) before the linebackers can start to flow, the Cowboys should be as effective against Barkley as they were in last year's Week 2 matchup, where Barkley was held to 28 rushing yards on 11 carries.

Enjoy this post? More film studies:

-- Film room: 3 Cowboys players who stand to benefit most from Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator

-- The 5 players who have impressed the most at Cowboys camp

-- 3 things we learned from Cowboys-Texans, including critical roster auditions

Twitter: @JohnOwning