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Giants (1-2) Cowboys (1-2)
The Cowboys were down 28-6 in their game with
the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter. They scored a touchdown with less
than nine minutes left and then added two more. It was too little to late and
they took a 28-25 loss.
The Giants were off to a poor start in their game with
the Cleveland Browns. Eleven seconds in they lost their first possession and were
down 7-0. They managed to take a 21-7 lead after the half, and finished the game
with a 21-15 win. Dallas
Cowboys
The Cowboys finished in first place
in the NFC East last year and went on to lose in their Wild Card playoff game
with the Green Bay Packers. The way the Cowboys offense and defense had been playing,
many thought they could make it to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys topped off their
1992, 1993 and 1995 seasons with Super Bowl wins, but despite posting good records
since then, they haven't been able to get past the Division playoff game. Dallas
Cowboys Offense
The
Cowboys offense commanded a lot of respect last year. They ranked 5th in the NFL
in total offense, 2nd in third down percentage and most important, first in points
scored. Dak Prescott's had 410 completions for 4516 yards with 36 touchdowns,
the most in the NFL. Prescott's thrown a lot of passes already this year, and
the results have not been as good. His 74 completions on 122 attempts is the lowest
percentage of his career. Prescott's ratio of touchdowns to interceptions is also
poor. He's thrown just 4 touchdowns and has 2 interceptions.
CeeDee Lamb was
Prescott's favorite target last year, ith 135 completions, he most in the NFL,
for 1749 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he is the top target this year as well.
Last game though Prescott had a hard time getting him the ball, and Lamb had only
4 catches. Prescott threw the ball 51 times and had 28 completions to 12 different
players in his efforts to come from behind and get a win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Running backs Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott have shared the load on most of
the carries so far, but the team average of 74 rushing yards per game is a big
drop off from 113 last year. Dallas
Cowboys Defense
The
Cowboys have given up 72 points in their last two games and lost both. They currently
rank 30th in points allowed, and that's a big turnaround from last year where
they were 5th, giving up just 18.5 points a game. There's also been a big downturn
in their rushing defense which was about average, to 32nd where it is now, and
they are giving up the most rushing yards (5.4) per carry.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has 2 sacks and is tied for the team lead with
line backer Eric Kendricks. Micah Parsons has had 13 or more sacks in his first
three seasons, and has been held in check so far with just 1 sack, and the team
currently has a total 7.
The troubling factor is that 6 came in their first
game win, and they have had only 1 in their last two losses. One thing that has
to be taken into account for all of this, is that the players are adjusting to
having a new defensive coordinator. Mike Zimmer is in charge now instead of Dan
Quinn, and it could take a few games for things to start working just as they
would like. Zimmer will be taking a close look at what changes the Cleveland defense
made in their loss to the Giants. In the second half of that game they really
slowed down an offense that was on the move to no points. In the secondary, safety
Markquese Bell and cornerback Caelen Carson are listed as doubtful for this game. Giants
Offense
Daniel Jones had a hot hand last
week completing 70.6 percent of his passes for 236 yards,with 2 touchdowns and
no interceptions. He has a great connection with rookie Malik Nabers. He is the
first player in NFL history with at least 20 catches and three touchdown receptions
in his first three career games. Nabers is also tied for the lead in the NFL with
5 catches of 25 or more yards. The Cowboys defense will certainly have their eyes
on Nabers, whose catches have also resulted in 14 first downs. Wan'Dale Robinson
has kept the chains moving as well. He's the second leading receiver, averaging
over 8 yards a catch and has 8 first downs on 15 receptions. Darius Slayton is
next, but he is listed as questionable.
The offensive line has done a nice
job of pass protecting, but run blocking could be better. Though Devin Singletary
finished last week with 16 carries for 65 yards, most of those yards were on the
Giants last possession of the game. The desperate Browns were trying to get the
ball back one last time, and Singletary broke free for 43 yards. The Cowboys defense
has allowed three rushing touchdowns in each of their games and know that their
poor run protection will be tested. They'll be focused on Singletary, and Jones
will likely get some carries. Brian Daboll even gave Nabers two carries last week
to keep the Browns off balance. Giants
Defense
Dak Prescott has taken 9 sacks already
this year, and the Giants defense got that going for them last week when they
sacked Deshaun Watson 8 times, and their 36 quarterback pressures led the league.
Dexter Lawrence now has 3 sacks and is tied
for the team lead with safety Jason Pinnock. The Giants are currently tied for
second in the NFL with 14 sacks. The defense may have been caught a bit off guard
last week as they did not expect to be on the field so quickly. The Giants offense
was expected to be out there for at least three downs, but Eric Gray fumbled the
kickoff return. The defense took the field and Watson's first pass went to Amari
Cooper for a touchdown. After that they did their work keeping the Browns off
the field as much as possible so the offense would have all the time they needed.
That time ended up being a bit over 19 minutes for the Giants and 11 for the Browns
in the first two quarters. It was the Giants offense that didn't take advantage
of what those efforts were in the second half. The Browns were kept off balance
and Watson looked lost at times and their rushing totaled just 69 yards on 18
carries. This defense has allowed only two touchdowns in their last two games,
and seem to be set in what it should do going forward. Cornerbacks
Dru Phillips and Adoree' Jackson are out for this game.
Overall
The
Giants haven't forgotten how poorly things went the first time they played the
Cowboys last year. They were handed an embarrassing 40-0 loss, but these aren't
the same Cowboys or Giants for that matter. Like the Giants, the Cowboys are on
a short turnaround between games, but they have to travel. The Giants game play
has improved over the weeks, and the Cowboys are headed the other way. Both teams
would like to even out their win-loss record. The Cowboys are favored overall,
but there are a few factors working here in the Giants favor.
NFC East Games
Thursday at 8:15pm Cowboys (1-2) at Giants (1-2)
Sunday
at 1:00pm Eagles (2-1) at Buccaneers (2-1)
Sunday at 4:05pm Commanders (2-1)
at Cardinals (1-2)
The Cowboys and Eagles are the NFC East team favored to
win in these games.
Check out.
Giants
On The Air. Listen to the Radio Broadcasts.
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Next Games
Oct
6 Giants at Seahawks
Oct 13 Bengals at Giants
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