Cowboys vs. Giants: Rob Ryan's Defense Will Fail Him in Must-Win Game

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has a ton of confidence in his defense's ability to beat the New York Giants on Sunday, but they will ultimately fail him when the team loses its must-win game and is forced to watch the NFL playoffs from their living rooms.

Ryan said the following Friday, via ESPN Dallas:

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“I know we’re gonna to play a helluva lot better, and that’s gonna be the biggest thing,” Ryan said. “I think when we execute, we’ve got a helluva defense. I don’t think anybody’s very good when they’re not executing or at the top of their game. In the championship game, you’ve got to be your best, and we will be. We can’t wait.”

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Ryan's defense was dominated by the Giants in a 37-34 loss in Week 14 and there is no reason to believe his unit will be drastically better when they are under even more pressure to perform with a playoff berth at stake.

Ryan, like his brother Rex who coaches the New York Jets, is a loudmouth who often makes bold statements and rarely backs them up on the field.

“If it comes down to me proving something, then we're gonna win, period,” Ryan said. “Because I'm gonna do it. That's the way it is.”

Good luck with that Rob, your defense isn't a good matchup against your division rivals.

Against the Giants in Week 14, the Dallas defense gave up 515 yards, 400 of them through the air to quarterback Eli Manning, and also were unable to sack the Giants quarterback even one time.

After heading into halftime with a 17-15 lead, the Giants outscored the Cowboys 22-17 in the second half to win the game.

It's also not like the Cowboys defense is coming off a good defensive performance that has them riding momentum into Sunday's showdown.

Dallas lost 20-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, and while they limited star running back LeSean McCoy to just 35 yards rushing, the Cowboys allowed Eagles quarterback Michael Vick to have one of his better performances of the season. Vick threw for 292 yards with two touchdown passes and no interceptions in the win.

The Cowboys also allowed four passes of more than 25 yards to be completed, and against a talented Giants receiving corps that includes stars such as Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, Dallas will struggle on Sunday.

Dallas' rush defense has been good this season and ranks No. 7 in the league, but their pass defense is much worse, ranking 23rd in football.

Against a Giants team who has more success throwing the ball than running it, the Cowboys have a problem in this matchup.

Manning leads the NFL's fourth best passing attack that has averaged a bit over 293 yards per game this season, and he himself has had a career year.

Manning has played very well in the fourth quarters of games this season, and has thrown for almost 600 yards more than his career high for a single season.

The best thing the Cowboys defense does is stop the run, but that is not what the Giants will key on Sunday. With Manning having an amazing season and their rushing attack ranked last in the league, the Giants will throw often this week.

With more pressure to win this game on Dallas than on New York, the Cowboys as a team will fold under the pressure and lose in Week 17, allowing the Giants to make the playoffs as NFC East division champions.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter.

Follow @NicholasGoss35