Stage Is Set for a Thriller Between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys

With so much on the line, it is imperative that both of these teams enter the game focused and not looking ahead to the playoffs. The winner of this game is the NFC East champion, will claim the fourth seed in the NFC, and earn a home game next week against either the Atlanta Falcons or Detroit Lions. The loser is in for a long offseason.

What should we expect in the premiere matchup of Week 17? Recent history shows that these teams like to put up points and keep the game exciting and close. In the last three seasons, the New York Giants have won four out of five games against the Dallas Cowboys. Each game was high scoring, with the winner scoring at least 31 points in each, and four of the five games being decided by a touchdown or less.

This regular season finale will be a matchup of the eighth- and ninth-ranked offenses in the league, with the Giants averaging almost 382 yards per game and the Cowboys averaging 380.5 yards per game. The defenses will need to play a full 60 minutes this week, so that a late fourth-quarter lead does not slip away like it did for Dallas three weeks ago.  The defenses are certainly capable of making big plays to impact the outcome of this game.  New York has 42 sacks this season, fifth best in the NFL, led by Jason Pierre-Paul's 15.5. Dallas has 40 sacks, good for seventh best, led by DeMarcus Ware's 18.  With a lot of offensive yards likely to pile up, it might come down to a crucial sack late in the game and the defenses stepping up to decide the winner.

The Giants will turn to Eli Manning once again to have a big game. He has thrown for a fourth best 4,587 yards, an average of 306 yards per game. He will need to continue to utilize Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, while mixing in handoffs to Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Bradshaw rushed 15 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Jets, while Jacobs carried the ball seven times for 42 yards. They should be able to rack up good yardage in this game as well.  

As for the Cowboys, they will look for Felix Jones to have a good game. He has been dealing with a hamstring injury the last couple of weeks, but expects not to be limited in the game this week. Tony Romo has an arsenal of receivers who are certainly capable of keeping up with the Giants offense, if he can limit his mistakes. In Romo's last three games, excluding last week when he left injured, he has thrown eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Limiting mistakes will be key for both quarterbacks.

In eight Dallas wins this season, Romo has thrown for 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. In seven Dallas losses he has thrown 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. While Romo's numbers are not terrible in his losses, he often makes mental errors at pivotal times that lead to losses. The success of the Giants is based on the success of Manning.  In New York's wins this season, Manning has 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. In their losses, he has 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Both quarterbacks have the ability to bring their teams back late in games, so this one should be close to the very end.  

The game will likely be decided by which quarterback can make the best decisions and play the smartest football. Although both teams can get to the quarterback, it will still probably be a high-scoring game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night. I can see this game coming down to the last possession, just like their first battle three weeks ago in Dallas.