The Dallas Cowboys (7-3) look to keep pace in a tight NFC East race with a win over a reeling New York Giants team (3-7) on Sunday Night Football. The Giants would like nothing more than to play spoiler against their bitter rival, as the Cowboys are trying to end a string of three consecutive 8-8 seasons and make the postseason for the first time since 2009. Dallas has won its last three games against New York, and is looking for its first four-game win streak in the rivalry since a five-game run from 1992-94.
‘Sunday Night Football,’ Cowboys vs. Giants 2014: Dallas looks to run all over Big Blue
The Giants will try to end their losing skid and spoil the playoff hopes of the Cowboys in a primetime matchup of NFC East rivals.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
This primetime matchup sets up as a potential trap game for the Cowboys, who have a short turnaround this week before hosting the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving, in a game that could have huge implications for the NFC East title. Dallas does not have a good track record in late-season games -- it is just 6-10 in the final four weeks of the season since 2010 -- so it cannot afford to drop a winnable game like this one against a mediocre Giants team.
The Giants -- who are barely mathematically alive for a playoff spot at this point -- are trying to regain their mojo, having lost five straight games after a promising 3-2 start. Although injuries have ravaged the roster, the Giants simply don’t seem to have the overall talent to match up with the elite teams in the league. They are 0-7 against teams with a winning record this season and 3-0 versus teams with a .500 or worse record.
Digits
If the Cowboys are going to avoid a letdown game against the Giants, they need to hand the ball to star running back DeMarco Murray early and often. The Big Blue defense ranks last in the NFL in both rushing yards allowed per game (145.0) and yards per rush (4.9), and surrendered nearly 500 yards on the ground over its previous two games against the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
Murray -- who has already surpassed his career highs in rushing yards (1,233) and carries (244) -- is having a record-breaking season as the only player in NFL history to rush for at least 100 yards in nine of the team’s first 10 games. He is one of the league’s most physical rushers, with an NFL-best 3.0 yards after contact per carry, but also has elite breakaway speed, leading all players with 21 rushes of at least 15 yards this season.
Dallas plays four of its final six games -- including Sunday -- on the road, but that is hardly a daunting task for a Cowboys squad that is the NFL’s only undefeated team (4-0) away from home this season. A win against the Giants would give the Cowboys their first 5-0 start on the road since 2007, when they won their first seven road games en route to a division title.
The key to their success has been the play of Tony Romo, who has an 8:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio on the road, compared to 10:5 at home. He leads the league in both passer rating (114.3) and Total QBR (87.1) on the road, and has helped the Cowboys to an NFL-best scoring margin of 10.0 points in road games this season.
Who to Watch
Odell Beckham Jr. - The rookie wideout has been one of the few highlights for the Giants’ offense this season. After missing the first four games with a hamstring injury, Beckham has established himself as the team’s biggest downfield threat and most dynamic receiver. He has really broken out in his past three games with 21 catches for 357 yards, the second-most receiving yards by any player in November.
Dez Bryant - The soon-to-be free agent receiver wants to get paid this offseason, meaning it's never safe to take your eye off Bryant during any game in his contract year. He is one of six players in the league with two 150-yard receiving games -- the first of which came against the Giants in Week 7. Although he ranks outside the top 10 in total receiving yards this season, he has been among the most productive wideouts in the league. Bryant ranks fifth in yards per route run (2.6), a metric that takes into account the number of snaps a player went into a pattern.
The venue
MetLife Stadium -- the home of both the Giants and New York Jets -- opened in 2010 adjacent to the site of the old Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands. It is the most expensive stadium in the league, with a construction price tag of $1.6 billion, and is also the second-largest stadium in terms of seating capacity (82,500). The stadium hosted Super Bowl XLVIII, the first time ever that an open-air stadium in a cold-weather city hosted the big game.
How to Watch
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile | NBC Sports
Odds
Dallas is favored by 3.5 points over New York on the road, with an over/under set at 47.5 points, per OddsShark.
Preliminary judgment
Most of the experts are siding with the better team on paper in this matchup, picking the Cowboys to beat the Giants. Six of the eight experts on the SB Nation panel have Dallas, while seven of eight writers at CBS Sports also believe the Cowboys will remain perfect on the road this season.
Further Reading
For more on the Cowboys, check out Blogging The Boys.
To keep up on the Giants, head over to Big Blue View.
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