Do the Dallas Cowboys Need to Fear the New York Giants?
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys are 0-2 against the New York Giants this season and may face them a third time in the divisional round on January 15th. Need they fear the Giants?
Conventional wisdom says the Dallas Cowboys should hope to avoid the 11-5 New York Giants. After all, the Giants are 2-0 against the Cowboys this season. One of those victories even came at AT&T Stadium so it only stands to reason the Giants could do it again on January 15th
Yet many Cowboys fans, myself included, seem to welcome a rematch. Perhaps it’s the thin margin of victory in those two contests. The Cowboys lost both games to the Giants by a combined four points. A play here or a play there could have changed the narrative in an instant.
Additionally, the first meeting was in Week 1 when both rookie cornerstones, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, had yet to find their respective games. The Dak and Zeke of September are a far cry from the Dak and Zeke of today. No one would argue with that.
But then again, that’s the same argument we heard in the Cowboys second meeting with the Giants. In that snorefest at the Meadowlands the defenses ruled the day. Dak was sloppy like never seen before, Zeke was good but not great, and Dez Bryant was so bad even Mark Sanchez cringed from the sideline — THAT game was supposed to be the Dallas Cowboys statement game yet it was the Giants who made the statement.
While it’s easy to point to Terrance Williams as the scapegoat in game 1 (he could have run out of bounds to set up a potential game-winning Dan Bailey field goal) and Dez Bryant as the scapegoat in the second loss (directly responsible for two interceptions and a fumble), the fact is the offense just never got rolling.
It certainly didn’t help that the Cowboys had their hands on three interceptions in the second game and dropped them all. Again, they literally had both hands on all three and dropped them. For a full review check out the postgame review:
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Sure the Cowboys were far too predictable on first down, but it was third downs that killed the Cowboys’ offense. The good news is those third downs are extremely fixable. Dak Prescott alone could have converted a handful just by tucking the ball and running against their man coverage.
The Giants’ 10th ranked defense is good but it’s far from fearsome. They are not insurmountable and if the Cowboys stop forcing the ball to Dez and Dak finds his groove early with a couple run and short passes, the Cowboys could blow it wide open with their #5 ranked offense (which slipped because of the Week 17 game).
Interesting Note: The Dallas Cowboys have one more sack than the Giants this season despite blitzing less.
Hard to Beat a Team Thrice
Forget the saying that “it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season.” That’s not an argument. It’s just as hard to beat them the third time as it is the first and second. If your coaches are doing their jobs, each game is a brand new event.
From an odds perspective, let’s look at a coin flip. Now, the odds of getting “heads” three times in a row is slim but each time you flip it it’s always the same odds: 50/50. The first flip is 50/50, the second 50/50, and even the third flip is 50/50.
You beat a team by out-scheming and out-executing your opponent. Up to this point the New York Giants are 2-0 in this regard. The Dallas Cowboys must find a way to gain advantage and then execute it.
The formula is simple. Run the ball often and convert third downs. Oh yeah, and don’t force the ball to Dez Bryant.
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If the Dallas Cowboys face the Giants on January 15th, they needn’t be worried. The 0-2 record commands respect but then again so does the Cowboys’ 13-3 record. The Cowboys are the better team in nearly every category and should a third game present itself, the Cowboys will be the favorites.