The Dallas Cowboys became the first team to clinch a playoff berth and they have a clear path to home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. But to get there, they’ll have to contend with the only team that beat them this season when they face the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.
Cowboys vs. Giants live stream: How to watch ‘Sunday Night Football’ online
NFC East foes collide in a critical Sunday night matchup.
As usual, the game is televised on NBC with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth on the call. Fans can stream it online via NBC Sports Live.
The Cowboys moved to 12-1 after a win over the Minnesota Vikings last Thursday night. The Vikings’ defense did a pretty good job slowing down Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, holding a 9-7 lead in the fourth quarter. However, Prescott got on track long enough to hit Dez Bryant in the end zone for the game-clinching touchdown. Minnesota’s offense couldn’t finish the comeback and Dallas escaped with the 17-15 victory.
Dallas and New York met in the regular season opener, with the Giants squeaking out a 20-19 win. Making his first career start, Prescott completed 25 of 45 passes for just 227 yards, not throwing a touchdown but managing to avoid turnovers. Elliott also struggled with just 51 yards on 20 carries, although he did find the end zone. It wasn’t a bad loss by any means, but the rookie duo certainly showed some rough edges.
How things have changed since then. Elliott has been an explosive force of nature, leading the NFL with 1,285 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry, emerging as a legitimate MVP candidate. Prescott is third in the league with a 108.6 QB rating, throwing for 19 touchdowns to just two interceptions. With Bryant still playing at a high level, the Cowboys’ offense is a fearsome unit capable of carrying this team to the Super Bowl.
The Giants still hold a wild card spot at 8-4, but they’ve been showing cracks in recent weeks. An uninspiring loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week snapped their six-game winning streak and showed that they still have work to do if they want to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
One of the Giants’ biggest weaknesses has been an anemic offense, which you wouldn’t expect with dynamic playmakers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard. New York ranks just 26th in yards per game and 23rd in points scored per game. Eli Manning is also having a poor season with just 12 touchdowns to 15 interceptions and averaging only 6.9 yards per attempt. The Giants’ defense is still good enough to carry them to a postseason spot, but they have to do a better job moving the ball if they hope to make any noise in January.
Nevertheless, this is a compelling NFC East grudge match and NBC will surely enjoy the ratings boost. These teams rarely disappoint when pitted against each other in the primetime spotlight, and with the stakes higher than simple bragging rights, every NFL fan should be tuning in Sunday night.
How to watch
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Place: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
Online: NBC Sports Live
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