Good chance we'll see some gadget plays on Sunday

Cowboys Keys For Success

1. Stretch the field: With Tony Romo at the helm, the Cowboys had the NFL's most explosive offense. They led the league in plays of 10 yards or more and 20 yards or more. Since he's been out, the Cowboys have just three plays of 20 yards or more -- none against Tampa Bay. No way the Cowboys beat the Giants without stretching the field and at least throwing a couple of deep balls to force New York's safeties away from the line of scrimmage. Otherwise, the Giants will constrict the field and take away the short routes that Johnson prefers to throw.

2. Commit fewer than six penalties: The Cowboys are one of the NFL's most penalized teams, but without Romo at quarterback they have no margin for error. They have to eliminate the penalties -- especially the pre-snap miscues -- that have plagued them much of the season because they're not good enough offensively to overcome them. DeMarcus Ware was offsides twice against Tampa Bay and another was declined. Again, with their offense struggling, they can't afford to give extra downs to the opposing offense.

3. Keep the ball for 28 minutes: Each yard gained is a victory while Romo is out. No one expects the Cowboys to put up prolific offensive numbers with Brad Johnson at quarterback, but he has to be able to sustain some drives or the Cowboys' defense will simply wear down chasing 6-4, 265-pound Brandon Jacobs all over the field. They gained 19 yards on their first nine plays and went three-and-out three straight times. They can't afford to do that against the Giants. They need some offensive continuity and first downs to control the ball and keep their defense fresh.

Giants Keys For Success

1. Block DeMarcus Ware: Every offensive line knows when the Cowboys come to town it has to deal with Ware, who has nine sacks and is a terror when it comes to infiltrating the pocket. LT David Diehl has plenty of experience lining up opposite Ware, but expect the Giants to formulate a gameplan in which Diehl gets plenty of help, mostly with a running back chipping Ware to help keep him off Eli Manning.

2. Keep T.O. quiet: Terrell Owens in the past has had big games against the Giants, who realize Owens can play his team in or out of a game with his wild emotional swings. The primary job of containing Owens falls to CB Corey Webster, who is big and physical enough to deal with Owens but must not give up any big, momentum-changing plays for huge yardage.

3. Make Brad Johnson beat them: There will be gang-tackling aplenty against RB Marion Barber, who with the loss of rookie sensation Felix Jones has to carry almost all of the rushing load. The Giants know what a load Barber can be and will have their sights on him with a run defense that is among the most proficient in the league. If the Giants can stifle the Dallas running game they will be able to aggressively pressure Johnson, who is not a mobile quarterback. The Giants sacked the mobile Ben Roethlisberger five times in beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh.