Not getting any easier: Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants preview
This divisional matchup looks like a mismatch all around. The 1-7 Cowboys will now have to travel out east to take on the 6-2 Giants who have won their last five. The Cowboys are also playing their first game with interim head coach Jason
Garrett at the helm. Wade Phillips was fired earlier this week after an embarrassing 45-7 loss in Green Bay last week.
Not that Dallas’ playoff hopes look promising now, but the Giants have an enormous opportunity to put the Cowboys away for good. Dropping Dallas to 1-8 with Tony Romo still out another few weeks will put the Cowboys down and out, if they’re not already.
Onto the X’s and O’s, no other team looks quite as balanced as the Giants. They’re ranked fourth in scoring offence (27 points per game), second in yards per game (401) and third in rushing yards per game (151.9).
New York should be able to pad their stats against Dallas’ defence, which many thought would be a strength of the Cowboys this season. That’s hardly been the case, as they’re 31st in points allowed per game (29) and 24th against the
run (123.9 yards per game).
Look for Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw to continue his breakout season. Bradshaw has racked up 765 yards this season with five touchdowns. He’s averaging a stellar 5.0 yards per attempt. The Giants power running doesn’t stop there either. The six-foot-four
264 pounder Brandon Jacobs has 360 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt and two scores. The Giants should have their way.
The Giants’ attack continues with their solid passing game. Eli Manning has his share of weapons, including Hakeem Nicks, who leads the team in every receiving category. Nicks has 51 catches for 653 yards and nine touchdowns. The Cowboys’ secondary looked
atrocious last week in Green Bay as the Packers gave them a whooping. If they play half as bad as last week, Nicks will be able to exploit that.
Jon Kitna will once again start for the Cowboys. Kitna has looked respectable in his time as the starter, but dropped passes and ongoing woes on the offensive line continue to hurt Dallas. Losing Romo to a broken collarbone was a testament to how the Cowboys
can’t protect their quarterback. Let’s not forget which team they were playing when that happened; you guessed it, the Giants.
Look for the Cowboys to use more of rookie receiver Dez Bryant, who was their bright spot last Sunday night. Bryant had nine receptions for 86 yards and the Cowboys’ only score.
The reason the Cowboys’ offence has been so abysmal is the lack of the running game. Despite having talented backs such as Marion Barber and Felix Jones, the Cowboys are averaging 75.6 rushing yards per game, 31st in the league. Once again, blame
has to fall with the offensive line.
This game should be a lot like the Green Bay game last week. Look for the Giants defence to set the tone early with pressure on Kitna. The Giants will run the football to their hearts’ content. They will look to put Dallas behind them for the season and
continue their run to a division title.
Kickoff is at 4:15 pm from New Meadowlands Stadium.
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