New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys: Chance to play a spoiler

No more "Danny Dimes"

Initial excitement after Daniel Jones took over the QB job from Eli Manning is definitely over. Nickname "Danny Dimes" doesn't get thrown around that often anymore after 4 consecutive losses. They lost to Vikings, Patriots, Cardinals, and Lions. The L's alone were not as concerning as the way they looked out there on the field. Defensively, they had problems earlier already. Bunch of rookies in the secondary and Janoris Jenkins not playing well will offer many favorable matchups to the opposing pass offenses.

Jones was sacked 16 times in the last 4 games. The amount of pressure and lack of talent at WR position (combined with injuries) affected his performance. His completion percentage was below 60%, not counting the 5 completions that he threw to the opposing defenders. Sterling Shepard is still out with a concussion, but there are some weapons to work with like Saquan Barkley, Evan Engram, and Golden Tate.

Ups and downs

Similarly to their rivals, the initial excitement was not long-lived in Dallas. After feasting on a cupcake schedule in the first three games of the season, they crashed back down to earth by losing 3 out of their last 4. Losses to Saints and Packers were a reality check for the Cowboys to see where they fit in this stacked NFC conference. They didn't take the Jets seriously enough after Darnold returned and they got punished for it. But then, out of the blue sky, they trashed the Eagles in prime-time. Go figure...

Expectations after the last season might have been set a bit too high. This team seems like it's playing under a lot of pressure and it's slowing them down. Having a lot of elite talent with no long-term extensions could be the cause of it as well. Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott and Byron Jones still playing under their rookie deals.

Giants vs Cowboys best bet

It's always dangerous to go with popular opinion in prime-time games. And the popular side here are the Cowboys for sure. Giants are at a low point when it comes to market perception on them. Suffering 4 defeats in a row, not many people sees anything positive about them. But for a 2-6 team, these are the games they get excited for. Prime-time at home with an opportunity to spoil a season for their arch-rival. The pressure is on Dallas here.

Giants' corners can't keep up with Cooper, which is why they need to get into zone coverage in order to limit those explosive plays on the outside. Against the run, they are surprisingly above average with 4.0 yards allowed per carry. Adding Leonard Williams via trade to their already good D-line should make them even better. Slowing down Ezekiel Elliot and limiting those explosive plays in the passing game will keep them close enough to make this game interesting until the very end. Getting a touchdown in this situation seems a bit too much.