Every week during the season, we’ll scout out the Cowboys next opponent. This week, that opponent is the New York Giants.
The Opponent: The New York Giants, aka the Jints. Again, this is the part where I tell you that I lived in New York for six years and never heard anyone pronounce the team’s name Jints, except when doing so on purpose.
Record: 4-2
The Line: Cowboys by 3. At least the betting public still supports you, Cowboys.
Last Game: A rather unimpressive 28-20 win over Detroit. The Giants knocked Shaun Hill out of that game and still had trouble closing out Detroit with Drew Stanton at the helm. Ahmad Bradshaw rushed 133 yards.
The Coach: Tom Coughlin. Just when you think Tom Coughlin may have finally worn out his welcome in New York, he rips off three straight wins and has his team among the NFC leaders.
The Offense: Another uneven year for Eli Manning, who’s thrown 10 TD’s to eight picks thus far. But Eli has been on a hot streak of late, with half those TD’s coming in just the past two games. He’s found a receiving stud in Hakeem Nicks, who was tearing apart the league until Detroit held him down last week. Manning’s wideout corps goes three deep with Nicks, Steve Smith, and Mario Manningham. The last time the Cowboys hosted New York, Manningham and Smith combined for 20 catches in a last-second Giants victory. So yeah, Mike Jenkins might want to spend this game not getting whistled for pass interference.
The Defense: Second overall in defense. Third in sacks. The last time the Giants played in prime time, they sacked Jay Cutler of the Bears TEN times. And it felt like a hundred. This is a bad matchup for Dallas’ offensive line. Romo will be under duress for much of the game. And it’s going to be on him to not throw horrible interceptions with Justin Tuck in his grill. Given his year thus far, there’s little reason to have much faith in Romo doing the right thing.
Key Matchup: Cowboys punt coverage team versus Matt Dodge. Matt Dodge is the worst punter in the universe and can barely field the snap. If the Cowboys are looking for an edge on Monday Night, here it is. A big special teams play can do a lot to relieve the 1,000-psi pressure currently on this team.
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