Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: Five Keys To Victory

The New York Giants come into Sunday's game as the most consistent team in the NFC east, while the Cowboys try to revive their season after their coach has been replaced. 

Cowboys

1) Run the ball: The Cowboys haven't ran the ball well all season, and it has as much to do with the offensive line as the running backs. This week they'll have to come together as a unit or Jon Kitna may be killed if he has to throw the ball 30 times. 

2) Get Dez Bryant involved: Bryant had three TDs in the first matchup this season and became one of Kitna's favorite targets. The Giants are sure to punt away from Bryant this week, so he'll have to be active in the passing game. If the Giants sell out on a blitz throwing a jump ball or two to Bryant won't be a bad idea. 

3) Stop the Run: The Cowboys can't do much about the Giants passing game, but if they stop the run they'll at least make Eli Manning earn his stats. The Cowboys must stop Ahmad Bradshaw on first down and put the Giants in third and long situations. 

4) Get Ahead Early: In the first match-up the Cowboys were up 20-7 at one point in the first half, and they'll need to get the lead early again this week. If they can do that the offense doesn't have to be one dimensional and the defense will have time to sit on the bench to rest. 

5) Show up: The Cowboys may have a new coach, but they can't just give up or they'll get destroyed in this game. The Giants want nothing more than to gain another game in the division and at the same time make the Cowboys look worse, the Cowboys can't let that happen.

Giants

1) Hit the Cowboys hard and fast: The Cowboys have flat out given up in their last three games, and if the Giants come out and score quickly, it could make the Cowboys quit entirely.

2) Get Jet Blue off the ground: The Giants receivers lit up the Cowboys secondary last time, and they're probably excited about facing them again so soon. The Cowboys secondary will most likely use more zone coverage this time around. That means Steve Smith will have to sit down in zones while Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are patient that Manning will hit them on a deep route eventually.

3) Don't underestimate the Cowboys: Dallas may be out of the playoff race, but if they get any indication that they can start beating teams, they'll start playing hard. The Giants have to look at the Cowboys as any other team they face. If not, you could see the Cowboys get confident as the game goes on and that could be trouble for the Giants.

4) Pressure Jon Kitna: In the last game, once Kitna entered, the Giants went after him hard. They have to do that again this week. Kitna tends to try to get rid of the ball as fast as possible when pressured instead of taking a sack. If the Giants come after him it could lead to turnovers.

5) Be patient with the run: The Giants may want to air it out from start to finish, but they're better off running throughout the game. The Cowboys have one of the worst run defenses in the league and although they've changed coaches, the change hasn't been that dramatic.