Cowboys vs Giants Week 3: history, key players, projection

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a monstrous upset win against last year’s AFC Champions in the Cincinnati Bengals. Led by Cooper Rush coming up clutch late paired with a defense that was smothering, the Cowboys got a much-needed boost in not only the win column but as a team rallying together.

The New York Giants enter this Week 3 matchup at a surprising 2-0 after knocking off the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers. Under the new regime of new head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants have squeaked out with two wins. Both wins came by a combined four points so the Giants, like the Cowboys, are ready for close games. This one will likely be no different.

This game gets the special primetime treatment of Monday Night Football and is the first divisional matchup for both two teams who look to start 1-0 in the NFC East, which will be up for grabs as no division winner has repeated since 2004.

The Giants are looking to continue on a 2-0 start, their first since 2016. Dallas is looking to capitalize on their defensive play paired with Cooper Rush’s confidence and steal another win with the backup. Let’s get into the history of this matchup, some key players, and finish with a prediction!

Cowboys vs Giants: History, key matchups, and prediction

Cowboys vs Giants: Matchup History

All-time Record: 71-47-2 in favor of the Dallas Cowboys (1-0 playoff record in favor of the New York Giants)

Most recent result: Dallas Cowboys 21, New York Giants 6 on December 19, 2021

Going into the 121st matchup, there is no shortage of familiarity between these two franchises. In the last 10 seasons, the Cowboys have utterly dominated this matchup by a record of 15-5, two of which came in a season sweep last year.

One fun tidbit about this matchup is that the very first meeting ended up as a 31-31 tie back in 1960. The Cowboys’ longest winning streak in this matchup is 12, while the Giants is just 6.

One exciting contest in this rivalry came back in 2018. This game saw the Cowboys win by a final of 36-35, but the way it ended was shocking. Dallas had the ball left with less than two minutes to play and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 32-yard pass where Cole Beasley made an exceptional catch. Rather than tying the game, the Cowboys elected to go for two on their way to an exciting win.