The New York Giants host the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Thursday in a short week where Big Blue looks to build on the momentum gained from their win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday.
This week they face a division rival in the Cowboys, and while the two teams have the same record, the feel around each is different. The Giants, if they win this week, will continue their upswing and building momentum. But the Cowboys are coming off of two losses and poor play in many areas on the field, so the feel from them is almost desperation.
A desperate Cowboys team won’t be easy to beat, especially if the Giants play like they did in Week 1, but there are six things New York can do to ensure a victory on Thursday.
Dak Prescott has 800 yards and four passing touchdowns, but he’s thrown two interceptions and he’s been sacked nine times in three games. On those sacks, he’s lost 48 yards. The Giants’ defense has 14 sacks on the season so far, led by Jason Pinnock who has three. If the Giants can get pressure on Prescott, he will make a mistake and either hold on to the ball too long and take a sack, or he’ll turn it over. Despite inking a massive contract this year, Prescott isn’t playing well and if the Giants can make him pay for that, they’ll have a much better shot at winning.
With Adorree Jackson and Dru Phillips likely out for this matchup, the Giants have to find a solution for Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Lamb exploded onto the scene in 2020 and made the league take notice. This year, he has 13 receptions on 24 targets for 218 yards and a touchdown. He does have a fumble, but he’s Prescott’s No. 1 target and if the Giants can shut him down then Prescott will be forced to throw to other (less reliable) receivers.
Malik Nabers is proving to be everything the Giants and NFL analysts thought he would be. He’s perceptive, athletic, agile, and his football IQ is off the charts. Last week against Cleveland, he had eight receptions on 12 targets and two touchdowns. He has at least one reception over 20 yards in each of the three games and has shown an aptitude for big plays. Keeping him involved in the offense is a must.
Daniel Jones has two interceptions on the year and the Giants have five fumbles (three lost) as a whole. Five turnovers in three games, bringing their turnover ratio to -1. In last week’s win, Devin Singletary and Eric Gray both had a fumble. The Giants were able to overcome those, but turning the ball over makes winning so much harder. Just keep the ball.
Despite some serious improvement along the offensive line, Daniel Jones has still been sacked eight times. The average yards he has lost per sack is 3.86, which isn’t terrible, and the offense is strong enough this year to overcome losing a handful of yards. But wouldn’t it be so much better if they didn’t have to? Jones has to make smart decisions, too, and throw the ball away when he’s out of options. But the line still has to do better against Micah Parsons & Co.
The one game the Giants won is the only game they won the time of possession battle. The Minnesota Vikings held the ball for five minutes longer than the Giants. The Washington Commanders had it for 15 minutes longer. But last week, the Giants had possession of the ball for eight minutes more than Cleveland. You can’t put points on the board if your offense isn’t on the field. Okay, that’s not entirely true, but you get the idea. Time of possession matters, and the Giants have to hold the ball on Thursday if they want to beat the Cowboys.