Nov 24, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Brian Daboll was livid on Thanksgiving as the Giants drop to 7-4 and 3rd place in the NFC East with a 28-20 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The contest averaged 42 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history. It started out positive with a 13-7 lead into the half, but it could have been a bigger one when Isaiah Hodgins was denied a TD due to an ineligible man downfield. That sent coach Daboll into a frenzy. They had to settle with a field goal from Graham Gano as a result, which was quite impressive from 57 yards out.
Big plays were made early on from the G-Men, including a 44-yard Randy Moss-like catch from Darius Slayton. That allowed Saquon Barkley to punch it in from one yard out. Defensively, Big Blue managed to grab two interceptions off of Dak Prescott. The secondary was the soft spot for the Giants, but CB Rodarious Williams and S Julian Love got up when they needed to in order to stop the Cowboys offense. Ezekiel Elliott did score a 6-yard rushing TD, but that was all Dallas could do in 30 minutes of gametime.
That was when Dallas woke up, from Micah Parsons pressuring the life out of Daniel Jones, to CeeDee Lamb making one-handed grabs. Take that however you will, because Odell Beckham Jr had his eye on the game as he has interest in joining the Giants and Cowboys in his next chapter in the NFL. The tight ends were also a nightmare for New York as Dalton Schultz scored twice while backup Peyton Hendershot ran one in himself. Those three TDs went unanswered by the Giants until Daniel Jones found WR Richie James in garbage time to make it a one possession game. CeeDee Lamb ended the game by securing the ensuing onside kick.
Saquon Barkley rushed only 11 times for 39 yards and caught 4 of 6 targets for 13 yards. After Schultz’s first TD, Mike Kafka and Brian Daboll decided to go for it on 4th & 1 from their own 45 in an attempt to stay aggressive. It was a simple pass from Jones to a wide-open Barkley, who had space to gain the first down, but Jones threw it a bit behind Saquon, which he could not hold on to. That turnover led to Schultz’s second TD.
It’s time to be thankful for the hot start to this season, as now the Giants jeopardized themselves of missing the playoffs with their current record. They sit in 6th right now in the NFC, and although 7 teams are admitted into the playoffs per conference, there are multiple teams breathing down their necks that can knock out the Giants by season’s end. Their upcoming schedule has them running the NFC East gauntlet for the next few weeks. They are 0-1 after the disappointment in Dallas, so let’s look ahead at how the Giants stack up against their fellow NFC East residents, because this stretch will determine how good the G-Men can be under pressure.
Washington Commanders (6-5, 7th in NFC, vs NYG week 13, @ NYG week 15)
The Commanders once had the look of a mediocre team that was still trying to find its groove. Now, they are heating up, winning 5 of their last 6 games including a win against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. That put Washington back on the map as a sneaky team that has talent on both sides of the football. To make life better for the Commanders, they activated DE Chase Young from Injured Reserve, allowing the menace to return to the field to make life miserable for any QB he faces. Combine that with the magic that Taylor Heinicke has shown in recent weeks as the starting QB while newcomer Carson Wentz (finger) continues his recovery.
Their stud WR Terry McLaurin is 9th in the NFL with 792 receiving yards and the RB combo of Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson Jr continues be as efficient as can be. Their next two games after this week are against the Giants, and with all of the injuries that they are facing, the Commanders can take advantage of a team that has been exposed in the past couple of weeks. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are below-average teams when it comes to stopping the run, yet Saquon Barkley ran for 61 yards combined against these guys. Washington happens to rank 6th in rushing defense, conceding 103.1 yards on average. Stop Barkley, you stop the bulk of the Giants offense.
Philadelphia Eagles (9-1, 1st in NFC, @ NYG week 14, vs NYG week 18)
Do we need to go over the Eagles dominance in the NFL this year? Maybe. They lost a shocker on Monday Night Football against the last place Commanders, which marked their first and only loss to date in 2022. It wasn’t just a close loss, it was 32-21, where the Washington defense picked off Jalen Hurts and recovered 3 fumbles with one recovery turning into a TD. Philly just got past the Colts in Indianapolis, but it was by a single point 17-16. Indy has not had a relatively good start with a 4-6-1 record heading into Thanksgiving weekend. There is little reason to panic if you are an Eagles fan, however you cannot ignore the flaws that have been exposed offensively in recent weeks.
The good news is that they have many ways to attack. RB Miles Sanders and WR A.J. Brown are top 10 in rushing and receiving yards respectfully, while the compliments of WR DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert have combined for 1,100+ receiving yards. Unfortunately, Goedert suffered a shoulder injury against Washington and now he is on the IR, meaning he will miss a minimum of four games. That presence will certainly be missed, but Jalen Hurts’ dual threat abilities allow him to be a game-changer.
It will be difficult to see how the Giants can contain a QB like him. They have done it once before when Lamar Jackson came to the Meadowlands. However, the Eagles present an entirely different offense. They are also picking up veteran defensive lineman to help stop the rush, a formula that has neutralized the Giants for the past two weeks. With all of that strength on the pass rush, it could be a nightmare for Daniel Jones if the offensive line doesn’t stay healthy.
Nfl Ny Giants Vs Carolina Panthers Panthers At Giants
The Giants host the Commanders next week, then the Eagles in two weeks, before they travel to Washington in three weeks. It truly is an NFC East gauntlet that is being thrown at the Giants and this is the most important stretch of the year. Daboll has yet to win a divisional game this year and that record is huge when it comes to determining tiebreakers for playoff positioning. Dallas has already conquered the Giants in that department, so it is in New York’s best interests to step it up in the second half of this season.
The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are battling for the NFC West crown with both teams at 6-4. Seattle crushed the Giants a few weeks ago in Seattle and the 49ers have only gotten stronger since their acquisition of RB Christian McCaffrey. Whichever team misses out on the divisional crown will be vying for a wild card spot, the one that the Giants currently possess. If New York wants to make a statement, it must be in these next three weeks because their playoff hopes will depend on how well they perform against the NFC East gauntlet.
