Giants vs. Cowboys: Preview, prediction, what to watch for

An inside look at Thursday’s Giants-Cowboys NFL Week 4 matchup at MetLife Stadium:

Marquee matchup

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb vs. Giants CB Deonte Banks 

In eight games against the Giants, Lamb has averaged 90.3 receiving yards and 13.9 yards per catch. Lamb, 25, is coming off a crazy-good season (135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 TDs) but he has been fairly quiet (for him), with 13 receptions for 218 yards and one touchdown in the first three games, leading to what some Dallas observers believe is him pouting. Banks is not exactly in form at the start of his second NFL season. He did not handle Amari Cooper very well last week in Cleveland. Lamb spends nearly half his time running routes from the slot and that is not a place Banks goes into very often, meaning Cor’Dale Flott has to have a day. 

Paul’s pick

A student of history would take a look at the data in this matchup and go with the visiting team, based on past results. This is a huge game for the Cowboys, who are hearing how lousy they’ve played and it is difficult to envision them falling to 1-3. For whatever reason, seeing that famous star on the helmet brings out the worst in the Giants. 

Cowboys 31, Giants 17

Stream the game live on Thursday night on Amazon Prime Video

Four Downs

Mature kid

Not only has Malik Nabers wowed everyone on the field, the 21-year old has also been a cool customer around the media. He strikes a tone of playful professionalism and has steered clear of saying anything that can be misconstrued. 

He would not be swayed into making his first prime-time game into anything more than it is. “No, it’s a regular game,’’ he said. What about his first game with the Cowboys? “It’s football,’’ he said. “A game is a game. Every time I go out there, a game is a game. No matter what day it is, a game is a game.’’ 

Night moves

Nyctophobia is an extreme or overwhelming fear of the dark. Daniel Jones has not been diagnosed with this but his NFL résumé after dark is brutally bad. He is 1-12 in prime-time games, including an 0-5 record on Thursday nights. Yes, the networks tend to try to schedule stronger opponents for these games and the bright lights have proven to be too revealing for the 27-year old quarterback. Jones in nighttime and daytime is 1-7 against the Cowboys, the lone victory 23-19 to close out the 2020 season, with the Cowboys finishing up 6-10 in Mike McCarthy’s first year as their head coach. 

Running on empty

It is not as if anyone could have anticipated this, right? It sure seemed strange that the only way the Cowboys addressed a hole at running back was to re-sign Ezekiel Elliott, a one-time Dallas stud who is past his prime. Rico Dowdle, with zero starts the past three seasons, and Elliott are now the 1-2 punch and there is not much punch. Dowdle is averaging 3.8 yards per attempt and Elliott is at 3.3. Their 211 rushing yards is the third-lowest total after three games in franchise history. They are the only team in the NFL without a running back or quarterback with a run of more than 10 yards. 

Happy sacks

The Giants defense is tied with the Jets for second in the league with 14 sacks; the 49ers lead the way with 16 sacks. Dak Prescott has been sacked nine times but the Cowboys have been trailing so often, opposing defenses have plenty of rush opportunities. Dallas is fourth in the NFL in lowest pressure rate allowed. The Giants have not dropped Prescott in four consecutive games, and Dexter Lawrence has vowed that streak will end in this game. He goes against a rookie, center Cooper Beebe, who has been strong thus far in pass protection. Also, watch for defensive end Brian Burns working against rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton.