NEW YORK, NY — A divisional matchup with the New York Giants is one the Cowboys have won the last six-straight—a trip to the Big Apple will be their first of six prime-time games this season.
Divisional dominance over the Giants:
The Cowboys have won 13 of the last 14 matchups with the Giants, dating all the way back to the 2017 season. Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s record in the NFC East since arriving back in 2020 is the third-most divisional wins by any NFL team since then, behind just Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills.
The king of the NFC East:
Quarterback Dak Prescott’s 32-8 record since starting against the NFC East is the most wins against his division than any other QB in the league. He’s beaten the Giants 12 of the 14 times they’ve met—the most wins against any opponent he’s faced thus far in his career.
Going on the road:
It’s the first time Dallas has a three day turnaround this season. It won’t happen again until the Thanksgiving game, also against the Giants, but it’s coming at a good time right now. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said “the worst thing you could do on a Thursday game… is spend a ton of time on [Sunday’s] game,” and although the Cowboys are 1-2 on the season, 0-2 at home after losing to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this week, Thursday is an opportunity for them to get back in the win column.
G-Men to look out for:
QB Daniel Jones went 24 of 34 last week for 236 yards and two touchdowns in the Giants’ win over the Cleveland Browns; the Browns are the only team Dallas has beaten thus far, a 33-17 win on the road back in Week 1. Jones’s passer rating has been 100 or more in back-to-back games: 109.4 versus the Browns and 100.0 against the Washington Commanders. And then you’ve got wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was drafted 6th overall in the 2024 draft—a top prospect coming out of LSU, scored two TDs last week against the Browns.
Playing the pass:
Prescott threw for 379 yards and 2 TDs last week—he’s dropped back to pass more than any other QB in the league, averaging 41.7 attempts per game. The Cowboys have thrown more because they’ve had to; you’re seeing that high of a number in attempts because they’ve gone down early in games and are forced to pass to try and climb out of the deficits they’ve faced. Take into consideration the San Francisco 49ers, who are second in the league in passing, completing 69 of their 95 passes, averaging around 30 attempts per game—they are 15th in the league in pass attempts, the middle of the pack and have a more typical stat line for a balanced offense to see after Week 3.
