Jason Garrett vs. New York Giants: Garrett is 8-6 against the Giants, including a 19-3 win over New York in the season opener. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 104 yards and Dak Prescott passed for 268 yards to lead the Cowboys to a win. Garrett also picked up his first win as a head coach against the Giants in November 2010 after taking over for Wade Phillips.
Key Matchup: LT Tyron Smith v. DE Olivier Vernon. We all know Tyron Smith is one of the game’s best left tackles, a player who’s probably on his way to the Hall of Fame. But if there’s one player who has given him some issues it’s Vernon. He had a sack, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hits against Smith in Miami in 2015. Vernon had a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit in the opener. Smith has been bothered with back and groin injuries much of the season, but he played well last week after missing two games, and the Cowboys are managing him through the week to make sure he can play on Sundays.
X Factor: Xavier Woods played in the slot quite a bit in college, but the Cowboys didn't really envision that as his role entering this season. But Orlando Scandrick’s back injury pressed him into duty last week and he had 3 tackles, 2 quarterback hits and all of the nickel snaps. He responded by playing well. He’ll get Sterling Shepard, who had caught 41 for 531 and one TD. He’s been hampered by injuries and migraines and without Brandon Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr. he hasn’t had nearly as much room to operate. If Woods handles him, Giants have no chance.
Key Stat: Dak has four completions of 20+ in 110 attempts without Zeke Elliott on the field. None against Philadelphia two weeks ago.
Cowboys Game Plan: With 10 days off, it’ll be interesting to see how the Cowboys attack. They have been trying to be more creative on offense and we’ll see if they can do it with some route concepts because offensive isn’t going to change much.
