NFC Game Of The Week

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

Cowboys: They were able to win a playoff game on the road for the first time since 1996 when they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round which would also end up being the final game of Tom Brady’s career. There’s no denying that this is a good football team and, in an NFC, where only three teams stand out, they are one of them in the conversation with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Many others, myself included, have said we never know who they are and what Cowboys team shows up because whenever they’re leading and in control of a game, they tend to get away from what is working for them. I’ll put it to you like this. This is a team that succeeds when the running game is being productive and that allows Dak Prescott to work with play action. In other words, Dak isn’t the Quarterback that can win you a shootout such as Mahomes, Allen, Herbert or Burrow. He needs the running game to succeed. My favorite thing about this team is their defense because it’s homegrown meaning mostly everyone was drafted, and they were able to build it up to where it is now. They kept this team in most of their games. Everything starts and ends with Micah Parsons, who’s been their best defensive player and will only get better. The question I’ll always have with them is which team shows up? Do we see the group that punched the Vikings in the mouth last year? Or, will we see the team that let their guards down against the Jacksonville Jaguars last December? Dallas will kick off their 2023 season in East Rutherford on Sunday Night Football.

Giants: Last season was an exciting time for their franchise in quite some time. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and won a playoff game for the first time since their Super Bowl victory when they defeated the New England Patriots. Brian Daboll is the best thing to happen to this franchise since the days of Tom Coughlin. Prior to him taking the job, there was a ton of undisciplined football on display and quite frankly, I saw a team that didn’t want to play for those coaches. Last year, I saw guys who left everything on the field for Brian. Due to his successful rookie season, he was awarded Coach of the Year and well deaserved. Daniel Jones had a strong season in 2022 that earned him a payday and once again, the coaching matters. Joe Judge had no idea what he was doing in developing a Quarterback. Look what Brian was able to do in Buffalo with Josh Allen. All you need to do is build and put your Quarterback in the best position to win and the Giants did that by acquiring Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders. He gives Daniel a possession weapon and if he can stay healthy, this offense will thrive. The Giants also drafted Jaylin Hyatt, a Wide Receiver from Tennessee. This is the same kid that scored five touchdowns in a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide last October. A majority of everyone returns for this defense, including Dexter Lawrence who’s the anchor of this unit. What do the Giants do for an encore this year? We will see if they added enough weapons around Jones.  They welcome a rival to town on Sunday night.

Cowboys X-Factor: Brandin Cooks– He’s traveled throughout the league and played with many teams. What I like about him is he knows his role and in this situation, he’ll give Dak a true second receiving option. That was something they didn’t have all last year. Brandin will also give the Quarterback a receiver that can stretch the field. This also gives Dallas two receivers to make plays on the football. Last season, it was just CeeDee Lamb then receivers by committee.

Giants X-Factor: Leonard Williams– Anytime the Giants have been successful as a defense, they’ve always had a strong front four. For a man of Leonard’s size, he’s so athletic and explosive. He’s a motor that powers himself in the lanes and makes plays. Leonard can also play on the edge and not just the interior of the defensive line. He’s grown tremendously as a player and has become a key cog in the middle of this Big Blue defense.

Three Things I’m Watching

1. Dak & Blue: For years, we talked about Tom Brady owning the Buffalo Bills and Aaron Rodgers owning the Chicago Bears dating back to his Packers days. Let’s talk about Dak Prescott when he’s facing the New York Giants. Dak has won his last ten starts against the Giants which puts him in a conversation with Roger Staubach as the only Cowboys Quarterbacks to win ten consecutive games against Big Blue. He seems to ascend to higher levels when playing the Giants.

2. New Toys: The Giants addressed some offensive holes during the off-season. They acquired Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders and drafted Jaylin Hyatt, the standout Wide Receiver from Tennessee as I mentioned up top. What have I been saying? If you want your Quarterback to be successful, put the necessary pieces around him in order for him to succeed! The Giants also fixed up the middle of their Offensive Line with drafting Center John Michael Schmitz. With a coach of Daboll’s caliber, this will all come together soon.

3. Breakthrough?: There’s going to have to be a time when the Giants breakthrough and show that they can compete with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. Last season, they went a combined 0-5 against Dallas and Philly. This is the perfect opportunity against Dallas in week one. The best way to win your division is to win within your division. A victory here over Dallas would be the Giants’ first since January of 2020. Since then, it’s been all Dallas as they’ve been winners of the last four games between these two teams.

Final Thoughts: It’s never a dull moment with these two whenever they meet up. Both the Cowboys and Giants made the postseason last year along with the Eagles, so that means three teams from the NFC East played January football. In this game, the key matchup is this Dallas offensive front against the Giants front four. It all starts with neutralizing Dexter Lawrence because when he gets started, he creates havoc. Can Dak stay in his box? Cole Johnson and I say this all the time. If he throws the football more than 30 times, the Cowboys will lose. The Giants must start quickly and most importantly, keep Daniel Jones protected because this Cowboys defense will bring many different looks up front and the Cowboys sacked the Giants a total of eight times in their two games in 2022. Lean on that running game which will open the passing attack. Meanwhile, Dallas will be facing rookie cornerbacks in the passing game. Which Dad do we see in this showdown? This will be a tight game all the way throughout and I don’t think the Giants offense will have enough to keep up with the Cowboys. Expect Dak to generate a drive late into the game that turns into six points which will push the Cowboys to victory.

Prediction: Cowboys 24, Giants 20