Fresh off a 40-3 beatdown against the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys will renew their rivalry with the New York Giants on Thursday at AT&T Stadium.
That victory helped the Cowboys draw even with the Giants for second in the NFC East, as New York were upset 31-18 by the Detroit Lions.
Match preview
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A week after blowing a two-touchdown lead to the Green Bay Packers, America's Team left no doubt on Sunday in Minnesota, posting over 450 total yards while only allowing 183.
The Cowboys' secondary was massive against the Vikings, allowing just 110 yards through the air and holding one of the league's top receivers, Justin Jefferson, to just three catches for 33 yards.
They were successful thanks partly to their tremendous pass rush, which gave the Minnesota offensive line all they could handle, posting seven sacks against them.
That victory improved their record to 7-3 on the season, while they are now 3-1 against their division in 2022.
While they put their game against the Vikings to bed early, Dallas have struggled to score in the fourth quarter this year, failing to find the end zone in the final 15 minutes in back-to-back outings.
Mike McCarthy's men have been great at shutting down opposing offences early on, conceding three points or fewer in the opening quarter on nine occasions this year.
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In a season full of improvements across the board, Brian Daboll witnessed the worst performance of the season by his Giants on Sunday as they lost for the second time in three games.
While they moved the ball well against the Lions, posting over 400 net yards, they could not keep their drives going, converting on just five of their 13 third downs.
Already in 2022, New York have won two more road games (three) than they did last season, though none of those triumphs have come against clubs with a winning record.
The Giants have been getting by offensively all year thanks to their outstanding ground game, which is ranked fourth in the NFL.
While their passing attack has not been great, ranked 29th in the league, they have done a reasonably good job at minimizing the bad throws, tossing zero interceptions in five of their last six games.
Second quarters have killed them all season long, with the Giants having been outscored in all but three contests in the second 15 minutes of a game this year.
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Team News
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Dak Prescott was in fine form on Sunday as the Cowboys pivot went 22/25 for 276 yards and two touchdowns, both going to Tony Pollard, who had 109 yards through the air and another 80 on the ground.
Micah Parsons and Dorance Armstrong each had two sacks versus Minnesota, while Jayron Kearse and Parsons had four tackles each.
Bryan Anger is out with an illness, as is Quinton Bohanna, while Anthony Brown recovered from his concussion and Anthony Barr has a hamstring injury.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who is second in the league regarding rushing yards (931), was limited to just 22 yards on 15 touches against Detroit.
Daniel Jones threw a pair of interceptions, his first picks since their loss to the Cowboys in September, and Wan'Dale Robinson was their leading receiver on Sunday with nine catches for 100 yards.
Julian Love led the Giants in tackles last weekend with five, while Rodarius Williams and Darnay Holmer each had four.
Joshua Ezeudu is dealing with a neck strain, Evan Neal has a sore knee, Dane Belton played last weekend despite an injured clavicle and Daniel Bellinger is out because of an issue with his eye.
Head To Head
The Cowboys have won their last three meetings against the G-Men, including earlier this season when CeeDee Lamb caught a one-yard TD pass from Cooper Rush while Ezekiel Elliott ran for a score as Dallas triumphed 23-16.
One of the most thrilling games between these teams came in the 2008 NFC Divisional Round, when the Giants' Eli Manning tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Amani Toomer.
Brandon Jacobs also ran for a score on that occasion as New York went on to win 21-17 and eventually upset the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl later that season.
The last Giants victory against Dallas came in January of last year, when Sterling Shepard had a TD run and catch to help New York win 23-19.
We say: Dallas Cowboys 33-19 New York Giants
The Cowboys' pass rush looked unstoppable last week against the top team in the NFC, and we expect them to force Jones into some poor decisions on Thursday, enabling their rejuvenated offence to work with some short fields.
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Joel Lefevre
