Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Spread: Cowboys -7
It’s hard to know what to make of the Giants four games into the season. They’re awfully close to being 0-4 after needing a frantic comeback to pull off their lone win against the Saints in New Orleans. Then again, they’re two last-second field goals (and one terrible penalty) away from being 3-1.
Which version of the Giants will show up in Dallas? The truth is, it might not matter. Because Troy Aikman was kind of right when he said the Giants “aren’t in Dallas’ class.”
The Cowboys, through the first four games, look like one of the best teams in football. They certainly have one of the NFL’s best offenses with quarterback Dak Prescott back (third overall). They’re averaging 31.5 points per game. Their lone loss was a two-point loss in Tampa on opening night against the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.
The Giants’ offense has certainly been better of late, and they will definitely have their shots against a Cowboys defense that remains a vulnerability.
If Daniel Jones gets the kind of protection he got in New Orleans and Saquon Barkley continues to take another step forward, the Giants could have a good day. But what is good for them? They’re averaging 20.8 points per game – more than 10 points less than Dallas. And they’ve topped 30 points just once in the Joe Judge/Jason Garrett Era (ironically in Dallas last Oct. 11).
And that’s where Aikman is right. The Cowboys’ offense, with Ezekiel Elliott and CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, is just operating on a different level right now.
That means the key to this game could be the Giants’ defense. And that’s a problem, too.
Because the one thing missing from the Giants’ win over the Saints was any semblance of a pass rush. They had no sacks and just one hit on Jameis Winston. They were lucky he didn’t pick them apart.
Prescott, against a similar pass rush, will.
And if you think the Giants’ pass rush will suddenly fix itself on Sunday, consider that Prescott has only been sacked six times this season behind the Cowboys’ impressive offensive line – making him one of the least sacked quarterbacks in the league.
That makes this feel like a bit of a mismatch, though that’s hard to predict since the Giants and Cowboys engage in hard-fought, nail-biting battles more often than not. The Giants’ surge in confidence coming off their win in New Orleans will help, as will the improved play of their offensive line and the growth of Jones.
It’s just hard to see how they can go point for point with the Cowboys if this game gets into a shootout. That puts this game in the hands of the Giants’ defense. And so far this season, that hasn’t been a good place for Giants games to be.