Cowboys

New York Giants: 3 keys for beating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4

by
kadarius toney, new york giants

The New York Giants have a tall task ahead with the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington next weekend. Dallas has won their last three games, sitting at 3-1 on the year, with their only defeat coming against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.

Over their last three contests, they have scored a combined 97 points, finishing with just a minimum of 36 points over the last two games. In their most recent victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, Dallas won the turnover battle, intercepting Sam Darnold twice and keeping the ball protected. While they did lose time of possession, they were efficient with the ball in their hands, punting four times and scoring touchdowns on five possessions.

The Giants are going to have to match fire with fire as they travel to Dallas, but let’s take a look at a few keys that help them in this match-up.

Three keys for the New York Giants to beat the Dallas Cowboys:

1.) Get Kadarius Toney MORE involved

Teams are still trying to figure out a way to stop Giants rookie receiver Kadarius Toney, who had his best game of the season, hauling in six receptions for 78 yards against New Orleans. Coordinator Jason Garrett got him more involved with Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton missing the game with hamstring injuries. Toney showed flashes of brilliance, using his quick-twitch abilities and insane lateral movement to dodge incoming tacklers and pick up extra yards.

Getting the ball in Toney’s hands should be a priority moving forward, and as he further incorporates himself into the offense, quarterback Daniel Jones will begin to rely on him as one of his favorite explosive play makers. The best part about Toney is that getting the ball in his hands from short range is all it takes to curate a big play. He rarely goes down on first contact and has already been coined the “human joystick.”

Designing a few plays around him will keep Dallas’s defense on their toes. Having speed on the outside with John Ross should clear out the underneath for Toney to have more open space, which the Giants should consider if they use him on drag routes and shorter concepts. Bunching him with Golladay and Shepard (if he plays) might also be a unique strategy — something Garrett used more against the Saints to create confusion, running different routes from similar sets.

2.) Control the clock

While Dallas managed to overcome Carolina despite losing time of possession, the Giants would be smart to try and control the clock, which would help control momentum. Dallas has such a fantastic offensive scheme capable of dominating any opponent, slowing the game down is their only shot at keeping this game within reach. Despite a great performance against the New Orleans Saints, the Giants’ offense hasn’t proved they can be a high-octane unit on a weekly basis, so trading blow-for-blow will be difficult.

Garrett should still incorporate explosive downfield plays into his strategy, but if the Giants want to win this game, the run blocking needs to be far better than it has been through four weeks, and Saquon Barkley needs to have his best game of the season on the ground.

3.) Win the turnover battle

The Cowboys’ defense has been curating turnovers at an astronomical rate, as young corner Trevon Diggs intercepted Darnold twice this past weekend. In each of the last three wins, the Cowboys have won the turnover battle, forcing two turnovers in each game. The Giants have been far better protecting the football, which should provide them a bit more efficiency. Nonetheless, Dallas has a stingy defense, but they are missing a few key pass rushers, including Demarcus Lawrence, so the offensive line should be able to protect Daniel Jones well for the second consecutive week.

New York Giants: 3 ways the offense can attack a spotty Dallas defense

by
New York Giants, Daniel Jones

It is no secret that the New York Giants have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, and there’s plenty of blame to go around for their demise. In 2019, the Giants were by no means an elite unit, as quarterback Daniel Jones threw 24 touchdown passes and over 3000 yards, but this year under Jason Garrett, his numbers have seen a massive drop off. He only has nine touchdown passes and 2714 yards over 13 appearances. He’s also been sacked 43 times, indicating a lack of WR separation and poor pass blocking.

The offense currently averages 17.1 points per game, and their only saving grace is the running game lead by Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris. Losing Saquon Barkley in week two against the Chicago Bears was a massive blow, but that has led us to a week 17 matchup against a surging Dallas team that averages 25.1 points per game. Finding ways to compensate for the lack of playmakers or injuries has been the storyline for the Giants on both sides of the ball, and it might be time to unleash the playbook for Garrett and put everything on the line.

Ultimately, Garrett’s playcalling selection has dwindled down to short-yardage options and quick reads, trying to avoid more Jones sacks and potential fumbles. Unfortunately, that has stalled the offense’s progression, and his inability to find receivers downfield has severely limited his potential. You could make the argument that the Giants simply don’t have the wide receivers to get the job done, but that doesn’t erase the fact that Darius Slayton had eight touchdown catches and over 700 yards in his rookie season. This season, he only has three touchdowns, as Garrett simply isn’t pushing the ball downfield and taking chances. That must change against Dallas if they want to keep up with their high-octane offense.

Three ways the New York Giants’ offense can find a spark:

1.) Daniel Jones surprise read-options

Daniel Jones was surprisingly conservative regarding his injury this week during a media session. He mentioned that he has been limited the past few games, sticking to the pocket and refraining from taking off running. Head coach Joe Judge said he was a bit forthcoming with the way he answered the questions and preferred he would’ve been a bit vaguer, but Jones has been moving around well during practice and could have been covering up their game plan.

I believe that DJ has the ability to activate read-options against Dallas, and we should see a little bit of his running mixed in after a few weeks of standing in the pocket like a traditional passer. This would really open up the field and force the Dallas to allocate more resources toward stopping Jones, which should help the receivers in the passing game.

2.) Dante Pettis

Last week, Pettis hauled in two catches for 33 yards, showing off some speed and agility from multiple spots on the field. One thing that I loved about Pettis was his desire to run second routes when Jones escaped the pocket.

This season, Giants receivers have often stopped running and trying to get open once the quarterback was flushed from the pocket unless it was a designed rollout. Pettis showed that extra bit of energy and heads up awareness to help DJ complete a pass downfield, and was one of his best throws of the season.

I would also like to see Dante return some kicks or punts since Dion Lewis has fumbled twice over the last three games on returns. Pettis was known for his ability as a return man in college, and while the 49ers didn’t manage to extract his value and potential, the Giants should offer him an opportunity in week 17 since he could be a potential receiving option for them in 2021.

3.) Target downfield against spotty Dallas secondary

While the Cowboys’ defense has been playing better as of late, their secondary is still spotty and can be taken advantage of. Their run defense is where they really struggle, so expect the Giants to rely predominately on that portion of their offense. They only average about 228.7 yards through the air allowed per game, which indicates a tougher matchup for the Giants in their passing attack. However, as we know, establishing the run opens up the passing game and forces defenses to commit to the box.

The problem is, opposing teams have been playing cover 1 and cover 0 to stop the Giants because they simply don’t respect the receivers’ abilities to get open in man coverage. If the receivers are unable to get separation and give Daniel Jones some solid options, the offense will again be trounced.

Pushing receivers downfield on verticals and taking shots against man coverage is exactly what the Giants should be trying to do. However, it also relies on Jones’ ability to progress through his reads and find open receivers. The playcalling is the focal point here, and the Giants are going to need to score over 20 points to keep up with Dallas in this contest.

New York Giants: 3 causes of concerns against Dallas Cowboys

by
New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants are facing one of their division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys in week 17. The Cowboys are one game ahead of the Giants. If the Giants want to make the playoffs, they need to beat Dallas first. If they beat Dallas, they need some help from the Eagles to beat the Washington Football Team.

The Giants are facing a team that is trending in the right direction. This game against Dallas will not be easy, here are the three concerns for the Giants in Week 17.

Giants trending down, Cowboys trending up

The Giants went on a four-game win streak before losing against the Arizona Cardinals on Week 14. Since that Week 14 loss, the Giants are on a three-game losing streak. While the Giants are trending downwards the Cowboys are on the rise. The Cowboys have won their last three games and putting up points on the opponent’s defense.

The Giants had a top 10 run defense going into last week. In the last three games, the Giants have given up on average 171.3 per game on the ground. With Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard picking up steam over the last couple of weeks, the Cowboy’s run offense has significantly improved.

Giants pass defense

Whatever side James Bradberry chooses, I am not worried about. The side that has Issac Yiadom could and will likely be a weak point, especially with the weapons that Dallas has in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and rookie CeeDee Lamb.

The Cowboys went from a Dak Prescott/Zeke centric offense to a Mike McCarthy/spread centric offense with Andy Dalton at the helm. Since Dalton has come back from his concussion and Covid-19, he has gone 4-2 and brought the Cowboys all the way back to the playoff picture. Over the last three games, the Cowboys are averaging 36 points per game, and the Giants are averaging 8.6 points per game.

The Giants secondary is gonna need to create turnovers if they want a chance to play in the playoffs with home-field advantage.

Simple, Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones will be playing in the biggest game of his young career. If Jones can beat Dallas and get a little help from Philly, he could remove all the talks about him potentially getting replaced.

Jones spoke to the media this week about his previous injuries and admitted he is not a hundred percent. Jones also said that he would be a pocket passer and not use his legs until he is a hundred percent healthy. Jones technically just told Dallas that he will stay in the pocket and throw. Dallas has to prepare less now.

One thing that we love about head coach Joe Judge is that he keeps his opponents guessing. With Jones telling the media about staying in the pocket, that’s not keeping your opponents guessing.

 

New York Giants defense needs to shut down high-scoring Cowboys offense in Week 17

by
New York Giants, DeAndre Baker

The New York Giants are still in the playoff hunt. With a Giants win over the Dallas Cowboys and an Eagles win over the Washington Football Team, the Giants will make their first playoff appearance since 2016.

First and foremost, the Giants need to beat the Cowboys. A loss against Dallas would officially eliminate the Giants from playoff contention. But if the Giants want to beat Dallas and go to the postseason, they need their defense to step up in a major way.

The Giants’ offense has struggled to put points on the board all season long. New York has only topped 30 points in a game once this season (their Week 5 loss to the Cowboys). The Giants’ offense also averages the least amount of points per game, averaging only 17.1 points.

The Giants’ offense has been particularly bad over the last three weeks. During their current three-game losing streak, the Giants have scored a total of 26 points, an average of 8.6 points per game. Dallas on the other hand has lit up the scoreboard over the last three weeks.

Dallas Cowboys offense

The Dallas Cowboys are on a three-game winning streak in which their offense has exploded and propelled them to consecutive victories. The Andy Dalton-led Dallas Cowboys are putting points on the board with ease. Over their last three games, the Cowboys have topped 30 points in each game. Dallas’s offense is averaging 36 points during this winning streak.

This incredible offensive display by Dallas is not exclusive to this three-game winning streak. The Cowboys have been scoring a high volume of points all season long.

If the New York Giants want to win this game, they absolutely have to contain the Dallas Cowboys’ offense and hold them to under 30 points (ideally under 20, given the state of the Giants’ offense). The Cowboys have scored 30 or more points in every single win this season. They have topped 30 points in eight of their fifteen games this season.

The Cowboys are averaging 25.1 points per game this season. The Giants, though, do have one of the better defenses in the NFL. New York has allowed opposing offenses to average only 22.5 points per game this season (tenth-best in the NFL). The Giants have held opposing teams to 20 or fewer points in eight games this season. Keeping Dallas’s offense under the 20-point threshold will go along way toward winning this crucial Week 17 matchup.

New York Giants’ offense needs to step up against Dallas Cowboys

by
New York Giants, Austin Mack, Jason Garrett

The New York Giants are entering a must-win, Week 17 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. With a loss, the Giants will be eliminated from the playoffs. With a win, New York will need some help from Philadelphia, but they could earn their first playoff birth since 2016.

First and foremost, the Giants have to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 to make the playoffs. Despite Dallas’ 6-9 record, this will be no easy task for the Giants. The Giants narrowly lost their last matchup with the Cowboys by a score of 37-34 in Week 5. This game is significant for the Giants because it is the only game this season in which New York was able to top 30 points.

The Giants’ offense has been terrible this season. The Giants are averaging only 17.1 points per game this season, the second-worst average in the NFL behind only the New York Jets. A functioning offense has been rare in New York this season.

The Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, have a pretty high octane offense. The Cowboys are only 6-9, but their record is not a reflection of poor offensive play. Dallas is averaging 25.1 points per game this season. Andy Dalton and the Cowboys’ offense has been on a hot streak over the last three weeks, though. Over this three-game winning streak, Dallas is averaging 36 points per game.

The Dallas Cowboys are bound to put up a high volume of yardage and points in Week 17. The New York Giants have an excellent defense, but there is only so much they will be able to do against Dalton and Dallas. The Cowboys are bound to put points on the board and the Giants’ offense is going to need to match and surpass that total.

If Jason Garrett and the Giants’ offense cannot keep up with Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys’ offense, then the Giants will not be playing football in the second week of January.

Thanksgiving Day game has major implications for New York Giants’ season

by
New York Giants, Cam Fleming

The New York Giants are not playing on Thanksgiving this year. However, two of their division rivals are playing. And the game that they are playing is crucial for the Giants and their playoff aspirations.

After a wild Week 11 in the NFL, the Giants found themselves in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East, despite not playing during their bye week. The Giants, Football Team, and Cowboys are all tied with a 3-7 record. Washington and Dallas both picked up clutch victories last week to narrow the gap between themselves and the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia is a half-game ahead of everyone else with a 3-6-1 record.

With the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Football Team facing off in this Thanksgiving matchup, Giants fans should watch closely as this game could have major implications on New York’s season. The Giants have a tough schedule to close out the year, playing playoff-caliber teams like the Ravens, Seahawks, Cardinals, and Browns before season’s end. The Giants might struggle to string together more wins this year, but some of their divisional rivals’ schedules are not as difficult.

The Cowboys, in particular, have a much easier schedule. The Cowboys will face one legitimate playoff contender, the Baltimore Ravens. The rest of their matchups are quite manageable. Dallas will play the 49ers, starting Nick Mullens, their backup quarterback. Outside of that, they will play the Bengals who just lost Joe Burrow for the season, as well as the struggling Eagles and one final matchup with the Giants. If Dallas continues to play the way they did last week, that season-ending matchup with the Giants could be an additional playoff game.

Root for Washington or Dallas?

For Giants fans, Washington needs to beat Dallas today. The Giants have the tie-breaker over Washington, beating them twice this season. New York has already lost one of its two matchups against the Cowboys and will play their next game against Dallas in Week 17. Dallas has a favorable schedule leading up to that game and could string together some wins to take the lead in the divisional race.

The Washington Football Team, however, plays a much harder schedule to close out the season. They will face the undefeated Steelers and the Super Bowl-contending Seahawks, making their schedule instantly harder than Dallas’s. For Washington to stay alive in the playoff race, they need to win today’s matchup. Additionally, in order to keep Dallas from picking up steam and taking a lead in the division, Washington needs to win today’s matchup. The Giants should hope to see Dallas crumble like the crust of an apple pie during today’s afternoon Turkey Day matchup.

New York Giants: A Thursday Night win could keep playoff hopes alive

by
New York Giants, Joe Judge

The New York Giants‘ season got off to a disastrous 0-5 start. Thankfully, the Giants were able to pick up their first win of the season against the division-rival Washington Football Team on Sunday. Now, at 1-5, the Giants are actually still very much alive in the playoff hunt.

The NFC East is laughably bad. The Giants’ division has a combined record of 5-18-1. The Giants sit one game back from first place in their division. Currently, the Dallas Cowboys own the title with a 2-4 record. If New York can pick up a clutch win on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, they can move into first place in the NFC East.

The Dallas Cowboys will need to lose as well if the Giants are going to move into first place in the east. Dallas is traveling to Washington this week to play another divisional game. Washington’s lone win of the season came against the rival Eagles. With a Dallas loss and a New York win, the Giants would find themselves with the same record as Dallas, 2-5, at the end of the week.

But beating Philadelphia will be no easy task for the Giants on Thursday night. If the Giants want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they need to come out of Philadelphia with a win.

The Road To First Place In The NFC East

The Giants will travel to Philadelphia to play their third divisional-matchup in a row on Thursday night. A primetime game against Philadelphia is typically a daunting task for the Giants, but things could be different this time around with the Giants coming off their first win of the season.

Luckily for the Giants, things have also gone from bad to worse in Dallas. The Cowboys are playing without their starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, after he suffered a season-ending injury in Week Five. Now, after the team’s embarrassing Week Six loss to the Arizona Cardinals, players have spoken out against their own coaching staff.

This is the perfect moment for Washington to pick up a win and throw its name in the playoff race. Washington is coming off of a disappointing 19-20 loss to the Giants. They fought hard and nearly won the game, but ultimately lost on a failed two-point conversion after an impressive comeback.

With Dallas hitting a low point and Washington showing week-to-week improvement, the Football Team could get its second win of the season in Week Seven. This would put Washington in a tie for first place in the NFC East. If the Giants win this week too, then there will be a three-way tie at the top of the division. In this scenario, it is essentially the start of a new season for every member of the NFC East. The playoff race would begin in Week Seven between every single team in the NFC East.

If the Giants lose this week, it seems like their playoff hopes will be over. Considering how they played the first five weeks of the season, the Giants are not likely to go on a big winning streak to rise to the top of the division. No 0-5 team has ever made the playoffs in the NFL. Winning on Thursday will be the Giants’ first step towards making history.

New York Giants: Why the offense could break out in week five

by
New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants are about to play their first division-rival game of the 2020 NFL season on Sunday. At 4:25 p.m., the Giants and Cowboys will kick off their Week Five matchup in Dallas.

Through the first four weeks of the season, the Giants’ offense has been one of the worst units in the NFL. The Giants are averaging just 11.8 points per game on offense, the worst in the NFL by about 5 points. New York has not scored a touchdown in their last two games and never even found their way into the red zone in Week Three.

That pattern should change this week, as the Giants are about to face one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Playing the Cowboys could be exactly what the Giants need to see their offense break out this season.

The Cowboys’ Shaky Defense

The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is arguably the worst in the NFL right now. Through four games, the Cowboys’ defense ranks as one of the worst units against both the pass and the run. Opposing offenses are averaging 430.5 yards per game against Dallas, the third-highest total in the NFL.

The Cowboys’ opponents have been raking in a serious amount of points. Dallas has allowed opposing offenses to average 36.5 points per game against them. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week Four, Dallas allowed their opponents to rush for 307 yards. Dallas fell to 1-3 on the season after their loss to Cleveland, just one game better than the Giants who sit at 0-4.

New York is in desperate need of a win. Unfortunately, their offense has not been able to do enough to get them across the finish line, despite the Giants’ defense being one of the NFL’s top units through four weeks. New York has allowed only 24 points per game. They have also allowed only 328.3 total yards per game (fifth-best in the NFL).

But the Giants’ defense will face a tall task in Dallas this week. The Cowboys’ offense has somehow been just as good as their defense is bad. Dallas is currently averaging 31.5 points per game and a league-high 509.5 total yards per game.

This game is likely to be a shootout or a blowout. The Giants’ offense will need to keep up with Dallas’ high-powered offensive machine. Fortunately, New York has a favorable matchup on offense, facing Dallas’ struggling defense. If the Giants’ offense can exploit this matchup, Giants fans could finally see their team break out and put some points on the board.

Are the Cowboys Pursuing Trade For New York Jet’s Cornerstone?

by
New York Jets, Jamal Adams

The Cowboys went down to the wire with the Jets at the trade deadline in negotiations for star safety Jamal Adams. The New York Jets wanted a 1st Round Pick and 2 Seconds. The Cowboys wouldn’t budge on their offer of a 1st and a day 3 selection. The Jets kept Jamal and after briefly being a cause of unrest among the Jets faithful, he went right back to bringing the energy to the defense and team as a whole.

Now, the New York Jets are in an offseason where they’ve spent a small amount of money on short term deals. They’ve invested in the offensive line and are seemingly going to invest a bulk of their draft picks into the offense as well. The Jets are preparing to rebuild this team into a contender in the future, not next season. This means they need to keep the talent they do have on defense for the long haul, so the Jets need to either lock up Jamal for the future or trade him and get compensation for him.

What Could A Deal Look Like?

I and many Jets fans would prefer he remains in Green and White, but the Cowboys are reportedly monitoring the situation between the Jets and Jamal and may be prepping to attempt a trade again. If the Cowboys did make an offer, it would likely include their 1st rounder, their 2nd or 3rd rounder and maybe another pick. The Jets would hypothetically then have a selection to add one of the top offensive linemen at 11 and add a receiver with the Cowboys selection. This would give them much more flexibility and help build for the long term with more guys on less expensive deals.

Is It Really Worth It?

Although some people discredit Jamal’s impact because of how the safety position is valued, he’s more than just a typical safety. Adams is an absolute monster on defense. He led the team in sacks last year with Jordan Jenkins. He’s also masterful in coverage and tackling. Adams is not just a force on the field but also in the locker room. Adams actively recruits players, is the voice of the team and the captain of the defense. He’s well regarded within the Jets community and the league as a whole. The Jets struck gold with Jamal Adams. No matter who they could add with the Cowboys picks, those players couldn’t have the same impact Jamal has had. Jamal Adams needs to remain a Jet, not just for now, but for a very long time.

Report: New York Jets In Running For CB Byron Jones

by
New York Giants, Byron Jones, Dallas Cowboys

Byron Jones is a freak athlete at corner who has been a very good player in the NFL. As the Cowboys plan to prioritize Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper over him, he’s heading to free agency. The former all-star is expected to have lots of interest.

Jets In Running

Per Adam Schefter: The Jets, Eagles, Giants, and Raiders are all in the running for Byron Jones. Jones would immediately become the Jets number one cornerback and if paired with back issues. Jones would be an absolutely perfect fit with Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye because of how athletic the three are. Jones would be an ideal Gregg Williams player and if the Jets are going to splurge on a defensive player in free agency, Jones wouldn’t be a bad guy. The only concern that I have about making a move for Jones, is that the last big contract that the Jets handed out for a corner, didn’t end to well. If the Jets feel confident that Jones is an exception and will not come back to bite them in the butt than I am all for this move.

Where Will He Go?

Byron Jones is going to command a hefty deal. With Joe Douglas likely going to prioritize offensive line and building around Sam, I can’t see him in the green and white, although I would be thrilled. I do see him landing in Philly because they are in dire need of a number one corner and have the money to afford Jones.