Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants Game Preview

On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys travel up to East Rutherford, NJ to take on their division rivals, the New York Giants. As an unapologetic Giants fan, this game always takes on a little extra meaning, and I will walk you through a couple of the burning questions that will determine the game and my [somewhat] unbiased opinion on the outcome.

This is hands down the most critical question heading into Sunday’s tilt. The Giants O-Line was the biggest question mark coming into the season, and they had some relative success early on this year, including outstanding outings against the Bills and 49ers. In fact, analysts began to say that the unit, let by the left guard Justin Pugh and rookie left tackle Ereck Flowers would be a strength going forward.

That narrative was put on hold after the Eagles 27-7 schellacking on Monday night. The right tackle Newsome made Connor Barwin look like Reggie White, and Fletcher Cox exploited a lot of miscommunication in the interior of the line (Weston Richburg, a second year center, had his first poor game this year). The Giants offense only works under two circumstances: If Eli is given time to survey the field, and if there is some semblance of balance with the run game. If they protect, they will win, despite Dallas having some great talent and grit on defense. Another thing to watch is how well Pugh and right guard Geoff Schwartz get to the second level on powers to hedge off Sean Lee; Lee is tremendous and could wreak havoc if left unchecked.

After the injury to Tony Romo, the trade to Buffalo for Matt Cassel spoke volumes of what the Cowboys thought of back up Brandon Weeden. And they were right: Weeden is 0-11 in his career as a starter, and his apprehension to throwing the ball to the left side hindered any real progress for the Oklahoma State grad.

Cassel has had success in the past, most notably leading the Pats to an 11-5 record after Tom Brady tore his ACL in 2009. He has a big arm and a favorable matchup against a Giants defense reeling with injuries and a penchant for giving up plays in the passing game. In fact, the Giants have allowed each QB they faced this year to have at least 250 yards and a TD. Spagnuolo has done a great job patching together a unit that has been riddled with injuries, but the effort hasn’t necessarily translated into results.

Dallas is going to try to establish the run game with one of the best offensive lines in the game, and expect Cassel to favor Jason Witten in the pass game. Cassel is going to have to manage the game and not make any big turnovers if Dallas is going to take it.

We all know what Odell Beckham has done in his short career, or the catch that occurred the last time Dallas played at MetLife Stadium. While he has had a productive year thus far, we’re still waiting on that crazy 12-200+-2 TD game that he is capable of. However, a nagging hamstring problem that ailed him last year is seeming to rear its head again.

Even though he caught the lone score last week, you could tell that he clearly wasn’t 100%, and wasn’t generating the same separation that he normally does. Also, Eli and OBJ seem a little out of sync on their deep balls this year, and haven’t connected at their usual clip. There’s still plenty of time, but if the Giants are going to take control of the division, they will need him to return to form.

I think Cassel will perform admirably and keep Dallas in this game, but the lack of firepower will do them in this game. I think the Giants offensive line plays a lot better than they did versus Philly, and that will be the difference.