Giants (0-0) vs Cowboys (0-0) Last
year the Cowboys won the NFC Division title with a 12-4 record and advanced to
the playoffs. The Giants finished third in the division with a 6-10 record
and lost both division games to the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys Last
year at this time we asked if Tony Romo's career would last long enough for him
to win a Super Bowl or at least another playoff game. It turned out that he led
his team to a division title with a 12-4 record. In one of the best seasons of
his career, Romo topped the league with a completion record of 69.9 percent and
with passing yardage that was also the best at 8.52 yards per attempt. He did
get that playoff win and had the Cowboys up 21-20 in the fourth quarter of the
NFC Divisional Playoff game at Green Bay, but the Packers came back to win it
26-21. This season the Cowboys strengthened their already formidable offensive
line to the point where they were willing to let their top running back, NFL rushing
champion DeMarco Murray, walk. Remember Murray broke Emmitt Smith's franchise
record with 1,845 yards rushing, but he now resides with NFC East-rival Philadelphia.
There's the thought that anyone can play the running back position behind this
line, but they'd better be right. One of the reasons Romo did so well was that
their strong running game had to be respected. Dallas
Cowboys Offense It
can't be stressed enough that losing DeMarco Murray to free agency could lead
to their downfall this season. It's going to be hard to match his 4.7 yards a
carry with the replacements the Cowboys have available. Joseph Randle was second
in line last year, but there are big shoes to fill. Aside from his running Murray
was a great outlet for Romo with his 57 receptions putting him third on the team
in that area behind receivers Jason Witten (64) and Dez Bryant (88). It should
be noted that their passing connection missed only 7 times. The Cowboys added
Darren McFadden
in free agency and they still have mostly untested
Lance Dunbar, but just last week they gave
the Seahawks a conditional late-round pick for running back Christine Michael.
It may take a few games for this position to work itself out. Romo missed some
valuable time working with Dez Bryant in the offseason because of contract issues
and then Bryant injured a hamstring. They held him back in preseason, but say
he's good to go. Last season was his best, as he caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards
and led the NFL with 16 touchdown receptions. Bryant came close to saving their
last playoff game in the fourth quarter when Romo threw him a deep pass on a fourth-and-2.
After being ruled a catch near the goal line it was overturned on review, leading
to their loss. Tight end Jason Witten is 33 years old, but doesn't seem to
slow down. He consistently averages 11 yards a catch, takes tough hits and hasn't
fumbled a ball in three years. Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley both had 37
catches last year, most for first downs and a few big plays. Dallas
Cowboys Defense This
defense forced 31 turnovers last season and only one team had more. Sacks didn't
come easy though and with 28, they ranked 28th compared to the other teams. Randy
Gregory, the team’s second-round draft choice should help in that area. Another
fix was adding pass rushing defensive end Greg Hardy to the team. He had 15 sacks
for the Panthers in 2013 and 1 in their first game in 2014, but then missed playing
the rest of the season because of legal issues. The Cowboys signed Hardy despite
the fact he was facing a ten game suspension and luckily for both parties, that
was reduced to just four games in arbitration. Rolando McClain, the former
eighth overall pick of the 2010 draft, was considered a first round bust for Oakland
and even sat out the 2013 season, but he proved his worth last year for the Cowboys
filling in for Sean Lee. McClain is currently on a four game suspension for substance
abuse so both he and Hardy will miss this game.
Sean Lee, in his first four years with the Cowboys, missed 18 games and then a
torn anterior cruciate ligament had him miss all last season. The secondary
was a weak spot for the Cowboys and they've lost their best cornerback, Orlando
Scandrick to a season-ending knee injury. No secondary would be happy to see Odel
Beckham Jr. coming their way and that would include Morris Claiborne and Brandon
Carr. Carr was the cover guy last November and is featured in all those photos
where Beckham is shown making that amazing one handed catch against him. Rookie
cornerback Byron Jones will have to become a fast learner if the Giants get on
a roll. NY Giants
Coming off a winning Super Bowl season, the Giants went 9-7 and fell short of
the 2012 playoffs when the Redskins took the division with 10 wins. The Giants
had a worse record in 2013, finishing 7-9 and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride
left. Then in 2014 with a 6-10 record, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell was
dismissed. If the Giants continue to stumble there's only one big coaching cog
left - Tom Coughlin. Despite a disappointing season, last year's offense under
Ben McAdoo ranked 10th overall in the NFL, up from 28th. Passing became solid,
and the running game showed some improvement. The defense was another matter
as they dropped from 8th overall in yards allowed to 29th. As average as the passing
defense seemed at times, defending against the run was worse, ranking them third
from last. The fixes the Giants installed included bringing back their former
successful defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo. Mike Sullivan also returned
to fill his old position as quarterbacks coach. Both coaches had pursued opportunities
elsewhere to move up in the coaching ranks, but are back now. Surely their experiences
with other teams broadened their knowledge base, and that's an added bonus for
the Giants. Giants offense
This unit ended the season on a strong
note. In the last six games they scored at least 24 points in each game, including
the one against the Cowboys. They didn't look sharp at all in preseason, but we'll
know a lot more after Sunday night. Eli Manning won't have Victor Cruz available
as he is still recovering from a calf injury, but he does have Odell Beckham Jr.,
Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, Preston Parker and tight
end Larry Donnell. The running game has
Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen
and Orleans Darkwa. Vereen was instrumental
in the last game he played. He helped his New England team win Super Bowl XLIX
in February with 11 receptions. That was a record for the most by a running back
in a Super Bowl. Jennings should start and we'll see how they mix things up for
the Cowboys with the others. Giants
defense Everyone loves to see their team
sack the opposing quarterback and when you think of JPP, that's where your mind
goes, but he is also a great run stopper. Whatever happens down the line, he will
surely be missed in this game going up against the possibly ineffective running
game the Cowboys are testing. Tackle
Johnathan Hankins played big last year and will be counted on, and Damontre Moore
and Jay Bromley now have more experience under their belts. Jon Beason will miss
this game, so who is the middle linebacker? It won't be Jasper Brinkley just
released by the Cowboys on Monday and picked up by the Giants. Uani
Unga looks to fill that position as he makes his first career start. It's also
the first start for safety Landon Collins. The Giants traded up to select him
in the second round of the draft and the Cowboys are sure to test him out, as
well as Cooper Taylor drafted in 2013. Taylor has barely played, finishing his
two seasons on the injured reserve list. Cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Dominique
Rodgers-Cromartie know what to expect from the Cowboys. It would be great if the
Giants could muster some kind of up front quarterback pressure and it will
interesting to see the effect of having Steve
Spagnuolo back as coordinator. When he was here last in 2007 and 2008 his units
finished 7th and 5th in total yards allowed. Overall You
hear a lot about the Cowboys offensive line and there's good reason for it so
let's assume the Giants pass rush won't be able to get to Tony Romo. They'll have
to be effective at stopping the run. The Cowboys felt that their dominant offensive
line was strong enough to wave good-bye to DeMarco Murray. If the Giants can prove
them wrong that would be fine. Then they'll have to be ready to cover more passes
to the likes of Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, and
some running back blocking and then breaking out for a pass. Expect the Cowboys
to be able to move the ball and put up points.
If Manning is on target his passing can match whatever Romo does, but they really
need to control this game with the run. The Giants offense needs to stay on the
field and keep their own defensive unit on the sidelines. The more time Spags
has to figure out weaknesses in the Cowboys passing game, the better. His unit
needs to lull Romo into a few mistakes so Manning will have even more opportunities
to score on the Cowboys. NFC
East On Sunday, before the Giants play
against the Cowboys, the Redskins host the Dolphins at 1:00pm. The Eagles travel
to play in Atlanta for a Monday night game at 7:10pm. The Cowboys and Eagles are
favored to win in these games.
Check out.
The Team
Giants Store, and see some of the really unique items we put together.
There are some items you certainly haven't seen elsewhere, and each sale helps
out our site. Giants DVDs
and Posters.
TeamGiants on Twitter. Notes
- Giants.The Giants have lost four straight
games to the Cowboys. Odell Beckham Jr.
has 9 straight games with at least 90 yards and is tied with former Cowboy Michael
Irvin. Rueben Randle had career highs
of 71 catches and 938 yards last year. Tom
Coughlin is the oldest head coach in the league. Notes
- Cowboys. Dez Bryant led the NFL
with a franchise-record 16 touchdowns. The
Cowboys are 7-0 against the Giants in season openers. The
Cowboys have the highest season-opening winning percentage in the NFL.
Next Games
Sept 20 - Atlanta at Giants Giants Tickets
- Buy
or Sell
Sept 24 - Washington at Giants Giants Tickets
- Buy
or Sell
|
Go Giants! #1 Fan Charm Bracelet 13 magnificently
crafted charms, plated with 24K gold and sterling silver. Genuine Swarovski® crystals Officially
licensed by the NFL. Gift box. Go
Giants! #1 Fan Charm Bracelet |
|
|