Cowboys at Giants: 3 bold predictions for Sunday’s matchup

Fresh off a big division win, the Dallas Cowboys (9-4) travel to MetLife to take on the struggling New York Giants (4-9).

The Cowboys have dominated the rivalry over the past few seasons, but will they be able to continue their success this Sunday? Well, before the two teams square off, here are three bold predictions for this division matchup.

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1) Dak Prescott bounces back in a big way, tossing three TD passes

For the past month or so, the Dallas Cowboys offense just has been a little bit off. Whether it’s been dropped passes, the inability to run with any success, or just players flat out underachieving, the Dallas offensive unit has been in a bit of a rut.

Last week against the Washington Football Team, quarterback Dak Prescott contributed to the overall offensive struggle. Dak turned the ball over twice, and his costly fourth-quarter pick-six almost cost the Cowboys the game.

Prescott finished the game 22-of-39 for 211 yards, tossing one touchdown pass and two interceptions. His 56.41% completion percentage and 58.8 quarterback rating were both his second-worst marks of the entire year. Prescott’s Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 47.4 was by far his worst grade of the season, coming in 16 points lower than his previous low mark.

Luckily for Prescott and the entire Cowboys offense, they have a great chance to get back to their early season form against the Giants this week. If you look at their overall numbers, the Giants defense does not look too bad, but we’ve seen them get consistently exposed against quality competition this season.

When facing current playoff teams, New York has surrendered 30 points to the Football Team, 44 points to the Cowboys, 38 points to the Rams, 20 points to the Chiefs, 30 points to the Buccaneers, and 37 points to the Chargers. That’s an average of 33 points over the six-game span.

When the Cowboys faced the Giants back in Week 5, Prescott led the offense to a dominant day. The signal-caller competed nearly 69% of his passes, throwing for 302 yards and three touchdown passes. This Sunday at MetLife, Prescott is going to have a very similar performance.

Dak goes over 300 passing yards for just the second time since Week 6, tossing three touchdown passes and putting himself in the conversation for NFC Offensive Player Of The Week.

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2) The Cowboys pass rush shows out again, recording four sacks

What a treat it was to watch the fully healthy Cowboys pass rush last week against Washington. The Dallas pass rush unit set the tone and dominated the game, recording 15 pressures and five sacks. Rookie Micah Parsons led the way, recording three pressures and two sacks, and graded out with an 80.1 pass-rush grade via PFF, the highest mark on the team.

With Parsons, Gregory, Lawrence, and Gallimore all available and able to bring pressure, there’s just no way the Giants offensive line will be able to hold up against this impressive defensive front. While the Giants have been around league-average allowing 28 sacks on the season, their line ranks as the fourth-worst pass-blocking unit in the league, according to PFF.

Another reason for the lower sack total is Daniel Jones’ mobility. This week, they’ll have the exact opposite of that under center in veteran Mike Glennon. An immobile quarterback against this pass rush is a bad recipe for success, and the Giants will find that out on Sunday.

Glennon has been sacked five times in three games this season and that number will almost double on Sunday. Dallas gets to the veteran four times, and their pass rush proves to be the catalyst for the second week in a row.

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3) The Cowboys walk out with a 16-point blowout victory

Sure, this is a division game on the road, but with their defense back and fully healthy the Giants can’t hang with this Cowboys team. If Daniel Jones was playing in this game things might be a little different, but a Mike Glennon-led Giants team is not going to be able to keep this game close.

On offense, the Cowboys should be able to move the ball with ease against the New York defense. Playing with a lead, Dan Quinn will be able to unleash his impressive pass rush group, and they will be like a wrecking ball to the Giants’ offensive game plan.

This game ends up a lot like the Week 5 matchup did, and it’s over before the fourth quarter even starts. The Cowboys deliver the Giants one of their worst losses of the season, in a 34-16 victory.