Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants: Cowboys Must Win To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

The New York Giants have a chance to nab sole possession of first place in the NFC East when they head to Dallas to play the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

While the Giants are battling for first place, the Cowboys are battling for their playoff lives. BetMania has posted the latest NFL odds on this game and the home team Dallas Cowboys are currently three-point favorites.

The Cowboys are in a must-win situation as they enter this game and need to get a victory or their chances to make the playoffs will diminish greatly. The weekend has set up nicely so far, as the Eagles lost on the road to the Titans, and if the Cowboys win, both teams in first place in the East would have lost.

This is a perfect time for the Cowboys to make up some ground. For as badly as they have played, the Cowboys have only lost one game in division. That is why they are still alive as contenders to win the division, but it all has to start now.

The first step for the Cowboys is eliminating the mistakes. They have to maintain their composure and avoid the silly penalties that have hurt them so far in the season.

Just last week in a loss to the Vikings, they out-gained the Vikings, but penalties and costly turnovers prevented them from winning. They had 11 penalties in the game, compared to just five for the Vikings.

The game against the Vikings was a perfect example of what is wrong with the Cowboys. They outplay their opponents, but they just shoot themselves in the foot. They will have to play near perfect if they want to beat the Giants tonight.

It is no surprise that the Giants are off to a good start, but it is surprising that they are doing it with defense. This was the same defense that collapsed just a year ago, causing the team to get a new defensive coordinator.

This year, under new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, the Giants defense has been reborn and is carrying the offense at times to win ballgames. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew ranks second in the NFL in both yards per play allowed and yards per game allowed and is tied for third in sacks. This defense will get a big test tonight when they face off against the high-powered Cowboys offense.

The Cowboys are a small favorite in this game, which suits them just fine, as they are 4-1 (against the spread) ATS in their last five games as a home favorite of 0.5-3.0.

The Giants are having a great start to the season, but they are costing football bettors who back them up. They are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a win and 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games overall.

The Giants are a quality team with a top-ranked defense, but they are walking into an ambush in this game. The Cowboys have an impressive defense as well and will be hyped up in front of the home crowd in a nationally televised game.

The Cowboys win by double digits and get back into the race for the NFC East.

Cowboys -3

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews, and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at [e-mail]