New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Complete Week 7 Preview for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys (5-1) will face their first division foe of the year when they take on the New York Giants (3-3) at 4:25 ET Sunday at AT&T Stadium. A win here would allow the Cowboys to keep building on their incredible momentum.
Last week, the Cowboys beat the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 30-23. The Cowboys thoroughly dominated the Seahawks on offense and defense, but their awful special teams play allowed Seattle to stay in the game until the end.
The New York Giants are coming off an embarrassing 27-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles controlled every facet of the game without much resistance from the Giants.
The Cowboys have to make sure to not fall into a lull after beating the Seahawks. The Cowboys are better in almost every aspect of the game, and the only way they won't come away with the victory is if they don't play up to their potential.
The Cowboys have been so good this season because of their ability to control the clock and be opportunistic on defense. If they do both of those things, then they will walk away with a win Sunday.
Read on for some news and notes, injury information and players to watch on Sunday.
Cowboys' Week 6 Recap
1 of 5
The Dallas Cowboys finally proved that they are one of the best teams in the NFL. If their 4-1 start wasn't convincing enough, their 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks certainly was. The Cowboys dominated in two of the three phases of the game against the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Cowboys had 401 total yards on offense, while the Seahawks had only 206 total yards. The efficiency of the Cowboys offense and the stoutness of their defense was the storyline of the game. The defense was fantastic at getting off the field on third down, as the Seahawks were only five of 13 on third-down conversions.
The Cowboys offensive line was once again terrific when they faced the Seahawks' deep defensive line.
Orlando Scandrick did a marvelous job when he was matched up against Percy Harvin, who had six touches for negative-one yard.
The defensive line showed that they are one of the most underrated units on the team with the way they played against Russell Wilson. They bottled Wilson up and didn't allow him to beat them with his feet.
The worst unit against the Seahawks was easily the special teams, outside of Dan Bailey. They had a punt blocked, which was returned for a touchdown, and a muffed punt by Dwayne Harris that led to points for Seattle.
If the special teams had played better, the scoreboard would have shown a blowout by the Cowboys.
Now the Cowboys turn their attention to their division foe, the New York Giants, in their first division game of the season.
News and Notes
2 of 5
Jermey Parnell to Replace Doug Free
Doug Free fractured his foot against the Seahawks and should be out three to four weeks. Free is likely to be replaced by the Cowboys' swing tackle Jermey Parnell, per ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer.
This is a blow to the Cowboys offense, especially since the offensive line has been playing so well. However, the Cowboys can help negate much of the negative impact by helping out Parnell in pass protection.
Against the run, Parnell can do a manageable job in the Cowboys' zone-blocking scheme. He can move laterally fairly well and does a great job once he engages with a defender.
However, it would be trouble if the Cowboys left Parnell out on an island against Jason Pierre-Paul or Robert Ayers Sunday. Look for the Cowboys to keep a tight end in line to help Parnell or send a lot of chips from the backfield so that Parnell doesn't get overwhelmed.
Tyron Smith Gets Noticed
Tyron Smith was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, per ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon. Smith was the first offensive lineman to win the award since Kansas City's Brian Waters in 2004 and the first tackle since to win since Dallas' Erik Williams in 1992.
Now, did Smith deserve the award based solely on his performance last week?
No.
The Cowboys' best offensive lineman last week was most likely either Zack Martin or Travis Frederick; however, there have been several occasions where Smith was the best player in a given week but didn't receive any credit. Therefore, no one should have any problem with Smith winning this coveted award.
Joseph Randle Arrested
Joseph Randle was "arrested for shoplifting and charged with a misdemeanor Class B theft of $50 to $500 at a Dillard’s in Frisco, Texas," reports ESPNDallas.com' Todd Archer.
This couldn't have come at a worse time for Randle. He just came off his most productive game of the season and seemed to be in position to gain a bigger role within the offense. This arrest could potentially put a halt to all of that.
Randle won't be suspended, but he will have to pay a significant fine, per ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins. The Cowboys have to know they can trust Randle before they give him a significant role in the offense; this recent arrest doesn't help him gain that trust in any way.
Injury Report
3 of 5
| Dez Bryant (shoulder) | WR | Probable |
| Tony Romo (back) | QB | Probable |
| Bruce Carter (thigh) | LB | Out |
| Cameron Lawrence (thigh) | LB | Questionable |
| Doug Free (foot) | OT | Out |
| Tyron Smith (ankle) | OT | Probable |
| Jack Crawford (Calf) | DE | Doubtful |
| Henry Melton (hamstring) | DT | Probable |
| Jermey Parnell (chest) | OT | Probable |
| DeMarco Murray (illness) | RB | Probable |
| Rolando McClain (groin) | LB | Probable |
All injury information comes from the Cowboys' official team website.
The losses of Doug Free and Bruce Carter will hurt the Cowboys, but they shouldn't be significant enough to sway the game in the Giants' favor. Free's replacement, Jermey Parnell, can do an adequate job at the right tackle position as long as the Cowboys give him help in pass protection.
Kyle Wilber and Anthony Hitchens will likely replace Carter against the Giants. While those two players can't do some of the things Carter can, they can certainly do a serviceable job at the "Sam" linebacker position.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
4 of 5
Tyron Smith vs. Jason Pierre-Paul
Once again, Tyron Smith will face off against one of the most dangerous edge-rushers in the NFL. Jason Pierre-Paul is an athletic freak who has great hands and incredible balance.
The good news for the Cowboys is that Smith has had considerable success against Pierre-Paul in the past. Smith has only given up one sack in the last four meetings between these two players.
Smith is one of the only tackles in the league who has the lateral agility to keep up with Pierre-Paul on a regular basis. Couple that with Smith's incredible technique, and Pierre-Paul will be fighting an uphill battle all game.
Look for Smith to neutralize Pierre-Paul throughout the game and put together another dominant game against a top-tier pass-rusher.
Tyrone Crawford/Henry Melton vs. Weston Richburg
The Giants' rookie left guard Weston Richburg has had an up-and-down season thus far. In the games the Giants have won, Richburg has done a great job opening holes for the Giants running backs. But in the losses, he has struggled mightily with his run and pass blocking.
The players that will look to make sure Richburg struggles again are the 3-technique defensive tackles Tyrone Crawford and Henry Melton. Both players do a great job of working upfield to get pressure against the quarterback along with getting into the backfield to disrupt the running game.
One of the keys to the Cowboys defense will be getting interior pressure against the pass and penetration against the run. It is up to Melton and Crawford to accomplish both of those keys.
Cowboys' X-Factor of the Week: Justin Durant
Justin Durant is one of the most underappreciated players on the Cowboys roster. He has been one the defense's stalwarts at the "Will" linebacker position.
He has done a fantastic job in coverage, whether he has been asked to cover running backs out of the backfield or drop into a zone.
Against the Giants, Durant will be one of the players tasked with helping cover the Giants' playmaking tight end Larry Donnell. Durant also has to do a great job of flowing to the ball quickly against the run because Andre Williams is extremely hard to tackle once he gets a head of steam.
In a game where the defense will once again be called upon to put together a great performance, Durant will be one of the biggest reasons why they will.
Prediction
5 of 5
The Cowboys are a better team, plain and simple. They have the advantage in nearly every matchup against the Giants and should prove that Sunday.
The Cowboys offense is better than the Giants defense, and with the injuries to Victor Cruz and Rashad Jennings, the Cowboys defense should match up very well with the Giants offense.
If the Cowboys control the line of scrimmage on offense and defense the way they did against the Seahawks, then they should come away from Sunday's game with a win.
However, weird things tend to happen in division games, and if the Cowboys aren't playing to their full potential, then they can get upset by the Giants. The Cowboys have to force Eli Manning into making mistakes and can't allow him to get into a rhythm. When Manning is doing well, there are few quarterbacks that can match his level of play.
The Cowboys offense should be able to establish the run against the Giants while peppering them with some intermediate and deep passes throughout the game.
Overall, the Cowboys are too good and too well coached to lay an egg against the Giants.
Prediction: Cowboys 31, Giants 20
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
