Week 15 – Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: Know thy enemy

Welcome to Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season. Last week, the Dallas Cowboys put a stranglehold on the NFC East, winning 27-20 over Washington. Dallas now possesses a three-game lead in the division with wins over each of the other three teams in the division.

This week, the Cowboys start their second tour through the NFC East, facing off against the New York Giants at Met Life Stadium. The Cowboys already have a blowout 44-20 in the books against New York and are looking to replicate that earlier success.

If Dallas can do so, there is a possibility that they can clinch the NFC East, earning an automatic home game in the playoffs. Even without the playoff berth secured, Dallas needs this victory to extend their winning streak and keep their confidence high.

Of course, the Giants are playing for nothing at this point besides the opportunity to be a spoiler. Having lost three of their last four, New York can do no better miraculously winning out to finish the season 8-9.

While that is highly unlikely, upsets can always happen, so it would be best for Dallas to remember past games against Denver and the Raiders and handle business. Will the Cowboys win their third straight game or will the Giants end their two-game losing streak? Let’s settle in and get to know thy enemy a little better ahead of this Week 15 matchup.

Cowboys vs Giants: What you need to know for Week 15 battle

Not only do the Giants struggle to do anything well on the offensive side of the ball, but they will also have to figure things out on Sunday minus their starting quarterback. Daniel Jones will miss his third straight game with a neck injury.

While Jones has not been a world-beater, his backup, Mike Glennon is not exactly poised to earn a full-time starting gig any time soon. Glennon has played in three games, started two, and has yet to throw for 200 yards or compile a passer rating above 71.0.

One of the three games he has made in an appearance in, however, was that early matchup against Dallas. Starting the second half down a touchdown, Glennon went 16 for 25, throwing for 196 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. One of those picks was returned for a touchdown, making Glennon responsible for a net positive three points.

In his last two outings, Glennon has struggled with accuracy, compiling an absurdly high 38 incompletions. Against the Dolphins, these incompletions led to field goals instead of touchdown opportunities in a 20-9 loss. Against the Chargers, Glennon did not get “hot” until the Giants were down 37-7 late in the fourth quarter.

Being down in games is something that the Giants have grown accustomed to as of late. In their last three losses, New York has held a lead in those games for a grand total of six minutes and five seconds of game time. That lead was 3-0 in the first quarter against Miami.

Meanwhile, Dallas has been best served in their recent winning ways by scoring first. In their last three wins, the Cowboys have never faced a deficit. Putting the Giants and Glennon in a position of playing from behind will be a key for Dallas to be successful this coming Sunday.

Defensively, New York is almost as putrid as their offense is anemic. The Giants are 25th against the run and 26th in total yards allowed. Due to this, opposing offensives generally spend a lot of time with the ball. In fact, only five other teams have a worse time of possession than New York.

Even with the Cowboys struggling to run the ball and missing their starting left tackle Tyron Smith, Dallas can control the ball in other ways. Extending drives, allowing the defense to continue to dominate, and minimizing turnovers can all work towards keeping the ball in the hands of the “good” guys.

Prior to the start of the season, I predicted an easy two-touchdown victory for Dallas in this one. The Cowboys are 8-1 since 2017 against New York, with that one loss coming by just four points when Dallas did not have quarterback Dak Prescott.

While I am sure New York would love to shock Dallas and momentarily delay the inevitable, I believe the Cowboys are too talented, too focused, and overall just far better than the Giants. Prescott will not throw three interceptions like what happened in New York’s last victory. Because of that, I will increase my prediction and say Dallas wins this one 34-14.

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