IRVING, Texas — The stage definitely is set for a big night by the Giants’ running game Sunday.
It looks as if Big Blue will only have themselves to blame if the ground game fails to take off against the Cowboys in light of what injuries have done — and are continuing to do — to the Dallas defensive line.
Backup defensive tackle Ben Bass dislocated his shoulder in practice yesterday and will miss up to four weeks, only adding to the list of bruised and battered linemen on that side of the ball for the Cowboys.
Bass’ injury came just moments before standout defensive end Anthony Spencer revealed his ailing knee had suffered a setback last weekend. Spencer didn’t practice Thursday and might not be ready to play again until Week 3, at the earliest.
The developments with Bass and Spencer only added to the Cowboys’ line woes. They already were having to face the Giants on Sunday night without top defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, who is on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to a groin injury.
As a result, the Cowboys — who also will be contending with a switch to the 4-3 under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin — could end up having journeyman George Selvie make his first career start at left end.
Giants safety Antrel Rolle predicted this week Cowboys tight end Jason Witten wouldn’t be allowed to repeat his epic, 18-catch performance against them in a 29-24 Dallas loss last October. Rolle found a co-signer Thursday in Witten himself.
“I probably won’t [repeat it],” Witten said. “That was an interesting game. We were just on a roll, feeling good, and it felt like regardless the coverage, we could find a completion.”
Witten said he benefited that day from soft coverage by the Giants after they jumped out to a 23-0 lead. He ended up setting the NFL single-game record for catches by a tight end.
“You got to use that tape and say, ‘OK, how are they going to play us?’ ’’ Witten said. “Because obviously they did a lot of [soft coverage] because they were ahead so much. We got a lot of respect for them on defense.”
Dez Bryant assured a Cowboys victory over the Giants to The Post Thursday, but coach Jason Garrett is acting as if Big Blue’s 4-0 record in Dallas’ new stadium doesn’t even exist this week.
Garrett said he hasn’t mentioned the Giants’ Dallas winning streak to his players and has no plans to do so before Sunday night.
Cornerback Brandon Carr agreed, saying (unconvincingly): “You bringing up [the streak] is the first I’ve heard it mentioned this week.”
The Giants have to love this statistic: The Cowboys are 1-9 on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” since the start of the 2010 season