Cowboys vs Giants: 5 things to watch for

The Dallas Cowboys head to New Jersey to play the New York Giants this Sunday and though they’ve won their last two games, the Cowboys are not leaving anyone feeling confident. The concern isn’t on defense, but offense - quite the change from last year. The Cowboys will have the chance to prove themselves against the 4-9 Giants and Dak Prescott tends to play well against them, so let’s see if this will be the game where he gets his groove back. Here's five things to watch for and reason to relax a little bit if you're a Cowboys fan.

Cowboys need to establish the run game

If the Cowboys can’t get their run game going, they’ll have a lot more to worry about going into the playoffs. Zeke has been struggling lately and Pollard was out last week with an injury. Kellen Moore will also need to figure out how to get the ball moving better. The Cowboys have been going three and out far too often and Moore is calling a lot of runs between the tackles, which has been unsuccessful.

Back to Dak

In the beginning of the season, Dak looked solid. He dealt with a calf injury for a bit there, but now that seems to be doing fine. And yet something is still most definitely off. He has been struggling with reads and hasn’t been able to make quick decisions. Since the calf doesn’t seem to be an issue, we can only assume this is a mental problem, and not a physical one. Dak needs to get out of his own head and focus if the Cowboys want a real chance in the playoffs.

Terence Steele at left tackle

The Cowboys need to get serious and fast. The playoffs are just weeks away and they’ve been looking sloppy lately, even in games that should be easy wins for this Dallas team. Steele has been inconsistent and they will need him to show up against the Giants. If fans really want to ease their minds, they’ll need to see him succeed in the game plans

Micah Parsons and defense to continue being clutch

One thing Cowboys fans really don’t need to worry about is the defense. If the Cowboys d-line can just keep doing what they’ve been doing, they’ll be without issue. The rookie Micah Parsons is not the only great player on the Cowboys defense, but he’s the best one. That’s saying a lot amongst players like Trevon Diggs, Jayron Kearse, Anthony Brown, Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, and Leighton Vander Esch. The defense is solid and they can’t carry the whole team all the time, but they sure can help fans rest a little easier.

Odds in Cowboys' favor

Unfortunately for the Giants, starting quarterback Daniel Jones seems to be out again this week and possibly indefinitely for the season after suffering from a neck injury. The Giants now have Mike Glennon starting who is 56-for-105 passing for 574 yards, three TDs, and four interceptions in the last three games. It’s extremely unlikely he’ll be able to get the ball moving against Dallas’ defense. Overall, the Cowboys lead the series 70-47-2 and have won eight of the last nine games.