New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Complete Week 7 Preview for New York
It's quiet—too quiet.
The New York Giants haven't made a peep since they were shut up by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. All the pregame trash talk was eventually drowned out during the Eagles' 27-0 drubbing of the Giants on national television.
Now, it doesn't feel like a normal Cowboys game.
Usually when New York travels to take on Dallas the hype has been paramount. The Giants have made a habit of invading the most tricked-out stadium in professional football, beating "America's Team" and leaving their division rivals in various degrees of embarrassment.
That's not the feeling this week after the Giants lost their first game ever at AT&T Stadium last season and were swept by the Cowboys in their two meetings. Last week's blowout loss at the hands of another division rival does not do much to instill confidence in New York for this Sunday's outing.
The Cowboys hold a decisive edge in the all-time series, aggregating a 59-43-2 record against the Giants since 1960. As shareholders in the NFC East, the Giants and Cowboys are familiar foes who meet at least twice a year. Some seasons—like 2007, when New York and Dallas met in the divisional round of the playoffs—feature an additional postseason Easter egg.
The Giants won that postseason clash with the Cowboys, 21-17. They'll try to do the same this Sunday.
Read on for the latest news, injury updates, matchups to watch and more.
Week 6 Recap
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If you missed last week's action, you're one of the lucky ones. Those of us who stayed up through Sunday Night Football witnessed one of the worst whippings I've ever seen delivered unto the Giants.
On the winning end was none other than New York's closest brother and most hated rival in the NFC East family, the Philadelphia Eagles. They were relentless in their 27-0, shutout defeat of the Giants.
The Giants were crushed from the beginning, when it became apparent New York was not going to be able to run the ball behind Andre Williams. The hostile Philadelphians had the visiting Giants rattled, as evidenced by 10 penalties for 75 yards.
Often facing multiple 2nd- and 3rd-and-longs, the Giants' offensive line was set up for failure against the Eagles. Fail it did, allowing eight sacks before the night was through. New York's dysfunction was rooted in the point of attack, where the O-line had the team rendered utterly inept.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Giants were embarrassed just as thoroughly. LeSean McCoy lacerated the platoon for one big gain after another, spearheading a rushing attack that eclipsed 200 yards against New York.
The secondary did intercept Nick Foles twice, but those turnovers were not cashed into any points. In fact, the Giants did not display any outward interest in scoring at all on Sunday evening.
The punishment delved out by the Eagles hurt, but not half as bad as losing Victor Cruz did. The Giants watched their most prolific receiver go down for the season to a torn patellar tendon.
I would point to something positive to pull from this game, but I literally can't think of a single thing. Everyone was awful from players to coaches, and the Giants can't afford to be that terrible from top to bottom again if they plan to win a fourth game this season.
News and Notes
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The Mike Missanelli Mess
It's easy to get caught up in fanaticism. Wait, you knew that's what the word "fan" is short for, right?
We're supposed to support our favorite teams, root for them to win and live and die with each Sunday's action. Some of us can get a little crazy about our hometown squad; a football field is one of few places you'll see a fully grown man shirtless, painted and possibly wearing a Halloween mask and think nothing of it.
And when division rivals meet up, things always get ugly. Heavy trash talk leading up to last week's Giants-Eagles game riled up both sets of fans. That's a dangerous concoction when we're talking about two fanbases—separated by 95 miles on I-95—who are usually more than willing to throw fists in the parking lot to settle whatever was left unsettled on the field of play.
Members of the sports media share a degree of responsibility to serve as a moral compass for these sometimes savage fans. So, naturally, when Philadelphia shock jock Mike Missanelli tweeted something that was interpreted as a celebration of Victor Cruz's knee injury, it created a cyber-storm of controversy.
Now, Missanelli swears he did not know Cruz was injured at the time of the tweet. Regardless, this is a perfect example of how streaming your own live, unfiltered thoughts to the entire WORLD WIDE WEB can sometimes be a really, really bad idea.
Finish watching the play before offering your instant analysis next time, Mike.
O-Line Eager for Shot at Redemption
If there's one unit that needs to improve the most, it's the Giants' offensive line.
The starting five was terrible against the Eagles after putting together three straight weeks of solid play. During that time New York had only given up three sacks; against the Eagles, the Giants gave up eight.
Six of them brought Eli Manning to the dirt, and the increased pressure in Week 6 noticeably affected his performance. His completion percentage dipped to 56.5 percent, and he did not throw a touchdown. Miraculously, Manning did not throw an interception either.
Not having a running game certainly didn't help Manning. The line couldn't open up running lanes for Williams, as the rookie failed to crack 60 yards rushing in his first NFL start.
Against the Cowboys, New York's offensive linemen must come to play. They are motivated to turn the unit around, especially right tackle Justin Pugh, who had a particularly poor showing against the Eagles.
Manning has Dominated in Dallas
Since the Cowboys opened AT&T Stadium—JerryWorld, they call it—Eli Manning has had some killer highs in Arlington, Texas. He has a 4-1 record in this venue, his first and only loss coming in the 2013 season opener.
Before that game, Manning was always dominant in Dallas. Manning christened the stadium with 309 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers in 2009, as his Giants went on to win 33-31. His signature from that night lives in infamy on the visiting locker room wall.
Other memorable Giants wins in Dallas since the stadium's opening were the 41-35 shootout of 2010, the one Jason Pierre-Paul won by a fingertip in 2011 and the one Dez Bryant lost by a fingertip in 2012.
Quote of the Week
Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka on the loss of Victor Cruz and the Giants' rocky start to the 2014 season, per Tom Rock of Newsday:
"This is something we are going to have to grow up from real quick and make sure we get the ship right. The story about the season has not been written yet, and I feel like as long as we come back out this week ready, prepared and enthusiastic about getting a win, then we will change that perception of us.''
Injury Report
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Here's the Giants' injury report for Week 7, courtesy of NFL.com:
| Player | Injury | Practice | Game |
| CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | Back | Limited | Questionable |
| LB Jon Beason | Foot/Toe | Full | Probable |
| P Steve Weatherford | Ankle | Full | Probable |
| LB Spencer Paysinger | Hamstring | Limited | Questionable |
| RB Rashad Jennings | Knee | DNP | OUT |
*WR Victor Cruz and CB Trumaine McBride were added to injured reserve.
The Giants can't afford to be without Rodgers-Cromartie for the Cowboys game. Even if he is healthy, Jayron Hosley is likely to see his first action of the season with McBride adding to the list of injured cornerbacks.
Cruz's addition to injured reserve is a real heartbreaker, too. The Giants, thin at wide receiver, were forced to sign Kevin Ogletree off the street. He'll likely serve as veteran depth, while Preston Parker steps in where Cruz left off.
The loss of Jennings was truly underestimated last week, as a far less dynamic Giants offense took the field without him against the Eagles. The Giants hope Andre Williams will be a better backup against the Cowboys, if he can get some help from the offensive line.
New York can count upon Weatherford and Beason to both be available on Sunday. Often playing through pain, these two have become warriors for the Giants, although their jobs—punting and tackling—couldn't be more different from each other.
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Matchups to Watch and X-Factor
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Andre Williams vs. Cowboys Front-Seven
Williams gets another shot to make a good impression with the Giants. The rookie was never an effective runner against the Eagles, and, with starter Rashad Jennings out, the Giants in the meantime need Williams to be their guy.
As a brutal change-of-pace back, Williams has been good. However, he must be much more than that against the Cowboys. The Giants need his game to blossom beyond straight-ahead bulldozing, although that project may require more than a few weeks of work.
If the Giants' O-line can get enough of a push to get Williams rolling against defensive tackle Henry Melton, linebacker Rolando McClain and the rest of a decent Cowboys defensive front-seven, we might have a game on our hands.
Williams must avoid contact in the backfield to win this battle.
Johnathan Hankins vs. Travis Frederick
If there's one man who can throw a wrench in the Cowboys' plans to run the ball, it's Hankins.
Dallas' DeMarco Murray has eaten up defenses for an average of 130.8 rushing yards per game so far this season. It's on Hankins, New York's 320-pounder at defensive tackle, to show off an appetite of his own.
There's no way the Cowboys try to contain New York's largest defender without a double-team, but center Travis Frederick is sure to have his hands on Hankins on nearly every down. These two, both members of the 2013 draft class, will duke it out in one of the game's most integral battles.
If Hankins can keep the Cowboys' O-linemen off of New York's linebackers, the Giants will be in good shape to stop Dallas' ground game. If he can penetrate the backfield and disrupt a few of Murray's runs on exceptional individual efforts, New York will be at an advantage.
Prince Amukamara vs. Dez Bryant
I'm putting Prince in the premier matchup with Dez over Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie because I think Amukamara will end up having the larger impact on the game's outcome.
DRC was the big defensive signing of the offseason, and many anticipated he'd become a shut-down cornerback for the Giants in 2014. Instead, Amukamara has been the more reliable of the two starters, as the Giants have quit following the opposition's No. 1 receiver with Rodgers-Cromartie. Now, when healthy enough to play, DRC stays on his side.
Opposite him, Amukamara has held it down, developing into one of the league's top men in pass coverage. Against Bryant, Amukamara will be challenged by a pass-catcher whose athleticism supersedes his own.
A smart player, Prince will need to be clever in his coverage of Bryant.
Giants X-Factor of the Week: Corey Washington
I'll never understand it if Washington doesn't see a snap in Week 7. The Giants completely muffled the flame he started in the preseason by having him ride the bench through six non-exhibition games.
I know Washington is raw and not as "NFL ready" as coaches, particularly Tom Coughlin, might prefer, but the Giants are running out of options at wide receiver with Cruz now out for the season. Things have suddenly gone very dark for New York's offense, and Washington can be just the spark of light the platoon needs against the Cowboys.
Prediction
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I expanded upon my normal slide's worth of bullet-point predictions this week to write a full article about what I think will happen in the Giants-Cowboys game on Sunday.
For one, I wrote about Odell Beckham Jr.'s impact in light of Cruz's injury. I think he can replace Cruz's production from the slot position, starting this week against Dallas. I wouldn't be surprised if OBJ caught two touchdown passes in his first game trying it out, as the rookie displays a natural chemistry with Manning.
I also said Adrien Robinson would have a breakout game at the tight end position. Larry Donnell and Daniel Fells have not been exemplary is recent weeks, so why not allow the 2012 fourth-round selection a few runs to make some noise? Maybe he'll catch the first touchdown pass of his career.
I wrote about the defensive ends and how the Giants' backups appear more adept at rushing the passer than the starters. Damontre Moore and Robert Ayers have displayed a more explosive burst coming off the bench than Pierre-Paul and Kiwanuka do to start the game. The two backups have four sacks between them, while JPP and Kiwi have combined for just three. Moore and Ayers must get more runs.
With DeMarco Murray's impact expected to be so prominent, I mentioned Jon Beason. I expect the middle linebacker in his second game back to be the one bringing Murray down on most plays. They'll get pretty familiar throughout the contest, as I predict the game will end with Beason leading the team in tackles. He will collect 10 or more.
Lastly, I predicted a shootout in which the Cowboys win. I think the Giants will focus on Murray, limiting his gains on the ground, forcing Tony Romo to take to the air. New York will take Romo out of his comfort zone, but the veteran quarterback can—and will—beat the Giants by throwing to receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten. Offensively, New York will regroup after an embarrassing outing last week. However, without Cruz and running back Rashad Jennings, the Giants will lack the extra dimension needed to overwhelm the Cowboys defense. New York will keep pace with Dallas' scoring, only to fall short on a last-minute field goal.
My prediction: Cowboys 37, Giants 34.
Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report.
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