The five players to follow in Sunday’s Cowboys vs. Giants

The NFC East belongs momentarily to the Dallas Cowboys who can secure their title by beating the New York Giants in Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season.

Recent history indicates that the Cowboys have a better chance of winning this matchup. Dallas has beaten New York in eight of the last nine games and has won the annual series in three of the four most recent seasons.

Other than 5 things to watch for in Sunday's game, we’ve listed down five players to follow in the Cowboys vs Giants matchup that kicks off on Sunday, Dec. 19, 8:00 pm ET.

Micah Parsons has been making quite the stir in the NFL, and is the expected candidate to win the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year award. If he continues to perform the way he has so far, he could even come close to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Parsons’ versatility and athleticism allow him to be an excellent pass rusher and provide good pass coverage when not charging on the quarterback. The Penn State product has recorded 75 tackles, 27 hits to the quarterback, 17 tackles for loss of yards, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles and two deflected passes.

Saquon Barkley has faced the Cowboys five times since turning pro, and every year he plays both a bad game and a good one. In his first 2018 game, he registered 11 carries for 28 yards and a touchdown after 17 carries. In 2019 he added 120 rushing yards and 28 in the second.

In 2020, Barkley was out for the entire season due to injury, and did not face the Cowboys. This year he has already faced them in Week 7, adding nine yards on two rushing attempts, so it’s safe to say Barkley will have a good game against the Cowboys.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been in the spotlight due to his poor recent performances. Against the Giants, Prescott will have the opportunity to face a defense that allows 244 passing yards per game, 40 less than his average this year.

However, things usually go well for him when he faces New York. In 10 games against the Giants, he has gone for 2,669 yards, 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions after completing 62.35 percent of his throws. This one will be interesting for the 28-year-old.

Veteran Mike Glennon will be the Giants' starting quarterback for the third consecutive week due to a neck injury suffered by QB Daniel Jones. In the two games he took control, Glennon has recorded 378 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Now, Glennon will face a secondary defense led by Trevon Diggs that has been characterized by a large number of interceptions. Diggs has nine and 17 passes defended.