The New York Giants (2-6) host the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys (4-3) at MetLife Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Here are six things to know about the game:
Dallas has dominated the series
The Cowboys lead all-time series, 67-45-2, and have won the past five. The series began on Dec 4, 1960 with a 31-31 tie at Yankee Stadium. It was the first non-loss in the history of Tom Landry’s club, which was formed as an expansion team that season. The Giants are 3-8 against the Cowboys on Monday night, which includes a 25-3 loss on October 27, 1969 at the Cotton Bowl in their first meeting. The game was not part of the Monday Night Football program, which began the next year, but rather a test case of sorts to see how NFL Football would be received in prime time.
Dak Prescott loves to play the Giants
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has 15 games with a passing touchdown and a rush TD since entering NFL in 2016, most in league over that period. In his past five starts against the Giants, Prescott is 5-0 with 1,552 pass yards (310.4 per game) and 13 touchdowns versus 0 INTs for a 120.5 rating. Dak had 405 pass yards, four touchdown with 0 INTs for a perfect 158.3 rating in Dallas’ 35-14 win over the Giants in Week 1. Prescott is aiming for his third game in a row versus the Giants with 385-plus passing yards and four or more TDs.
What a difference a year makes for Aldrick Rosas
In 2018, Rosas was a second-team All-Pro and was named to his first Pro Bowl after hitting 32 of his 33 field goal attempts and 31 of 32 PATs. This season, Rosas has attempted just six field goals in the Giants’ first eight games, missing two while making 18 of 19 PATs.
“He hasn’t had a whole lot of attempts this year. He’s only got six on the year, so we’re still trying to find that good, solid rhythm, game rhythm, and when you don’t have the attempts like that, it just takes some time,” said special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. “Having the year that he had last year gave him a lot of confidence. So, he understands now more than ever the issues that he has, and to be able to self-correct and make those adjustments on the sideline, knowing watching the ball flight, okay the ball did this, so it’s normally this. Or the ball did this, and it’s normally this. So, he knows the fixes.”
Golden Tate has been true to form
When the Giants signed Tate in free agency, they knew they were getting a professional receiver with a proven track record of production. Over the past five seasons Tate had averaged 89 receptions and 1,003 yards.
In his fist four games as a Giant, he has become a favorite target of Daniel Jones, catching 23 of 36 targets for 280 yards and a touchdown. That prorates out to 92 receptions and 1,120 yards over a 16-game season.
Cowboys are at the top of the NFL statistically
Dallas may be 4-3, with a loss to the Jets to their credit, but they are one of the NFL’s best teams on both sides of the football. The Cowboys rank first in total offense through eight weeks in 2019 (in which they’ve played seven games), averaging 437.9 YPG, including a league-best four games with more than 450 yards. They have 28 passing plays of 20-plus yards.
On defense, Dallas is 8th in the league, allowing 324.8 YPG and just 6.99 yards per passing attempt.
Cowboys are recharged after their bye week
This week’s game against the Giants marks the sixth time the Cowboys will play the Giants coming off their bye week. Since 1990 when the bye week was introduced, the Cowboys are 20-10 in games following their bye. Dallas has the second-most wins following a bye week behind Denver (21). Also, the Cowboys have played 19 games on the road after a bye and have compiled a 12-7 record in those games.
