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Giants (3-13) Cowboys (7-8-1)
The Cowboys played their last game on Christmas
day against the Washington Commanders. They were ahead at one point with a 21-3
lead. The Commanders fought back, but the Cowboys held them off, and the final
score was 30-23.
Last Sunday the Giants were able to break their nine game
losing streak playing against the Raiders. They led in the game from the start
to the finish, and left Las Vegas with a 34-10 win. Dallas
Cowboys
In 2023 the Cowboys finished in
first place in the NFC East, and the way the Cowboys offense and defense had been
playing, many thought they could make it to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys went on
to lose in their Wild Card playoff game with the Green Bay Packers. In 2024 the
Cowboys numbers weren't nearly as good, and much of that had to do with Dak Prescott
missing nine games due to a serious hamstring bone injury. This year Dak was back,
and the offense was bringing it, but the defense has struggled. The Cowboys record
will have them finishing this season second in the NFC East division. Dallas
Cowboys Offense
They were on the move against
the Commanders last game, running over twice as many offensive plays. Some of
that had to do with them converting on all six fourth down attempts. Even though
he was sacked 6 times, Dak Prescott kept drives moving, throwing for 307 yards
with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Prescott is averaging 280.1 passing yards
a game, for a total of 4482 yards, and that puts him on top of all the quarterbacks
in the NFL. It's no surprise that the Cowboys lead the league with an average
of 398.6 yards per game.
Prescott's main target is wide receiver George Pickens
who has caught 92 passes for 1420 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Tight end Jake Ferguson
is second on the team with 8 touchdowns. Ferguson
suffered a calf injury and was out for the second half last game, but is expected
to play this week. Running back Javonte Williams has carried the ball 252 times
for 1201 yards and 11 touchdowns, coming up with 67 first downs in the process,
but he won't be playing in this game. Williams has been dealing with a shoulder
injury, and was placed on injured reserve.
The Cowboys second leading rusher
is Malik Davis with 52 carries, and 3 touchdown, but was injured in the Commanders
game, and he has been ruled out. Prescott is third on the team with 51 carries
and 2 touchdowns. Those three have accounted for 15 of the teams total 16 rushing
touchdowns. Miles Sanders had the only other one, and he was out for the season
after playing in just four games. It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys
handle their rushing attack in this final game. Dallas
Cowboys Defense
it
might have been a mistake that owner Jerry Jones traded pass rusher Micah Parsons
to the Green Bay Packers right at the start of the season. In 2021 Parsons was
drafted with the 12th overall pick by the Cowboys, and in his time there had 52.5
sacks, 112 quarterback hits and 9 forced fumbles. Last year his 12 sacks led the
team to their total 52, which was the third highest in the NFL. They currently
sit with 31, and defensive ends James Houston and Jadeveon Clowney each have 5.5
sacks.
This defense was up against the Commanders playing without their top
two quarterbacks, Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. They came up with just one
sack on Josh Johnson, who hasn't started a game since 2021, and that was his 10th
career start. The Commanders couldn't come up with a passing touchdown, but Johnson
averaged 8.6 yards on his throws. Running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt came up
with 2 rushing touchdowns against the Cowboys, who gave up 133 rushing yards.
Though the defense did manage to hold off the Commanders late comeback attempt,
they tend to give up a lot of points. They have allowed 29.8 points per game,
which is the most in the NFL. It was a good move to bring in defensive tackle
Quinnen Williams. He's played in only 6 games, but has shown to be a necessary
ingredient for this defense. Williams knows how to bring quarterback pressure,
and can make tackles. He missed the game before last
due to a concussion, and has been dealing with a neck injury, but looks to be
in for this one. Giants
Offense
Even though he is a rookie, Jaxson
Dart should be more of a challenge for the Cowboys defense to handle than the
third stringer they faced last time out. For one thing, Dart can pass and run
with the ball, and he showed that last week against the Raiders. Last week Dart
completed 22 of 30 pass attempts for 207 yards, and ran with the ball 6 times
for 50 yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns against the Las Vegas Raiders. Dart was
working without left tackle Andrew Thomas, and
Marcus Mbow filled in for that spot, and will do so again this week. Center John
Michael Schmitz has also been placed on injured reserve, and backup Austin Schlottmann
will be playing there in his place.
Dart will be without his two top receivers
in this game as wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson are both out
for this one, and Darius Slayton is the next leading receiver. Jalin Hyatt missed
some practice this week, and is listed as questionable. Isaiah Hodgins hasn't
seen much action, but that might change this week. One thing the Giants won't
have to worry about is cornerback Trevon Diggs, who the Cowboys parted ways with
after their last game.
Dart ran well with the ball last week, and his total
9 carries resulted in 48 yards, and those two touchdowns. He may be tempted to
do that more if he can't find available receivers. Running back Tyrone Tracy can
be a good outlet if the pressure is on, and this may be a game where Tracy and
Devin Singletary should be relied on more. It's too bad the offensive line and
receiving crew aren't at full strength. The Cowboys defense is giving up the most
passing yards a game this year. Giants
Defense
The defense put it all together
last week limiting the Raiders to just 10 points. In
the second half, they allowed just one touchdown, and the Raiders had to work
for it. Their 14 play drive had to overcome two fourth down conversions, followed
by a fourth down touchdown pass. Deonte Banks immediately made up for that with
his 95-yard kickoff return, giving the Giants a 17 point lead at the end of the
third quarter. This week will be tougher playing against Dak Prescott throwing
to George Pickens, who's had a career best year playing with the Cowboys, and
CeeDee Lamb is next in targets. The Cowboys running game might not be there for
them because of injuries, and Prescott likes to throw.
The Commanders were
able to get at Prescott for 6 sacks, so something might be there for Brian Burns
working with a with a career-high 16.5 sacks. Abdul Carter has 3.5 over the past
four games, with 10 quarterback hits, 6 tackles for losses, 2 forced fumbles,
and one fumble recovery. The Giants will have to be careful how they play with
two starters in the secondary out, cornerback Cor'Dale Flott and safety Jevon
Holland. Overall
The
Cowboys broke their three game losing streak last week with a win over the Washington
Commanders. Another win this week, and they will finish with a .500 win loss record.
The Giants and Raiders were both on 9 game
losing streaks, and the Giants won out. They will be looking to break another
9 game losing streak, which is that many straight losses to the Cowboys. NFC
East Games
Sunday at 1:00pm Cowboys (7-8-1)
at Giants (3-13)
Sunday at 4:25pm Commanders (4-12) at Eagles (11-5)
The
Cowboys and Eagles are the NFC East teams favored to win in these games.
Check out.
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