by Conor Perrett
Monday Night Football returns tonight with another divisional matchup that comes with a historic rivalry as America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, travel to the Big Apple to take on their NFC East enemies: the New York Giants.
New York Giants
If you read any previous previews of mine, you know how much of a fan I am of Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Well the man responsible for running the Bills’ offence for the last three seasons, just got the gig to rebuild the Giants: Brian Daboll.
After spending the last couple of seasons trying the ‘Patriot Way’ under Joe Judge, things didn’t work out for the regime and they were sent packing. During the coaching search, it looked to be a two-way fight between Daboll and the then recently fired Miami head coach Brian Flores, with the former being picked to try to bring football back to their previous heights under the bright lights of New York City.
So far, they have scraped a 1-point win against the Titans in Week 1 and then followed it up against the Panthers last time out to leave the Giants undefeated as things stand.
Ranking around the middle in DVOA’s metric, the Giants have just found themselves sticking around late in games and then finishing strong. It is a good trait to have in a young side. With many thinking they might be destined for a top pick in next year’s draft as they look towards the future, Daboll seems to have better ideas for his men early on. There’s still a long season ahead but a quarterback-less Cowboy side might not threaten their undefeated streak.
One thing to watch out for is the wide receiver room. There’s talent in the room with the previous regime spending heavily on assets such as Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, but in their first year with a new regime things have started off awkwardly for both men. With very few snaps being given to either, watch out to see if last year’s big ticket signing continues to see the bench.
Injury Report:
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have a presence around their name which once scared opponents when meeting them. But that time was in the 90’s, and even though the Cowboy’s name still has that presence around it, history sometimes needs to be left in the past. Every year we think Dallas could be a contender, but the time until they reach an NFC title game continues to grow.
It’s now 27 years since they last reached what is essentially a Super Bowl semi final. Is that who America wants to pride themselves on after 27 years of mediocrity? It’s high-time the Cowboys actually live up to their history and start contending for championships again.
Sadly, this year might be no different to the rest. After an off-season where it seems they actually got worse on paper with the losses of Amari Cooper, La’el Collins and Randy Gregory. Things started off poorly when quarterback Dak Prescott suffered an injury to his throwing hand in Week 1. Now the injury to his thumb is still unclear with a timetable for his return potentially being Week 5, but will he be 100%?
Something Dallas can rely on though is their defensive front being a dominating force. Not to mention they have a rising star on the roster in Micah Parsons. During the 2021 draft process some didn’t know what to make of Parsons. He had the talent and athleticism but similar to Isaiah Simmons before him, we couldn’t put a finger on what his best position is. Well he made a massive impact, and showed it doesn’t matter where he lines up. He’ll be great everywhere and make plenty of plays. Being using all of the line and in coverage as an off-the-ball linebacker, it’s on the edge where he has flashed the most.
His long frame and speed is unblockable for most O-Linemen, and it gets even harder when offences try to take him out the game as he possesses such versatility. With Saquon Barkley being New York’s main weapon, that battle will be interesting to watch.
Previous Matchups
2021 Season:
Week 5 – Giants @ Cowboys – 20-44 Cowboys Win
Week 15 – Cowboys @ Giants – 21-6 Cowboys Win
As seen the Cowboys took both wins last year comfortably, with this rivalry tending to lean one-sided the last five years. Whether it’s home or away the Cowboys haven’t had too many problems, winning 9 of their last 10 matchups against the Boys in Blue.
Prediction
On a cold Monday night in the city of New York, the Cowboys open as +2 underdogs.
Now even with backup-QB Cooper Rush at the helm for Dallas, it’s surprising to see the better overall side be unfavoured. The Giants have been the biggest shock through the first couple of weeks of the season, but they haven’t done it smoothly. The Cowboys defence they are facing, are not to be looked past and will cause the home team issues.
Even with a 2-0 record and an offensive minded head-coach, the offence is still the Giants’ weaker side of the ball. They have got the run game moving nicely, but we’ve not seen much in their passing game. Something Daboll established with his time in Buffalo to a great degree.
This matchup looks to be a sluggish defensive war tonight and when it comes to that i’m going to go with the better defence.
Cowboys 17-13 Giants
Welcome to Smashmouthing Football 