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New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys Prediction: NFC East Rivals Get Together on Thanksgiving
Our NFL experts predict, pick and preview the New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys NFC East Thanksgiving Day game, with kickoff time, TV channel and spread.
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New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: NFC East Rivals Get Together on Thanksgiving
It's a Thanksgiving tradition as the Dallas Cowboys get their annual home game on Turkey Day, with this year's opponent being the New York Giants. And both teams could use some redemption. Dallas has lost three straight and six of their last eight contests on this prestigious holiday. The Giants' last appearance was back in 2017 when they lost 20-10 at Washington.These two teams last met on "Monday Night Football" in Week 3 as the Giants fell 23-16 at home to the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys. Tony Pollard ran for 105 yards as part of a ground game that racked up 5.9 yards per carry. New York also ran the ball effectively, averaging 6.7 yards per rushing attempt, but Daniel Jones was ineffective at quarterback.
Last week, Jones threw for 341 yards but it was in a 31-18 loss to Detroit as he also added a pair of interceptions. The Giants outgained the Lions by almost 100 yards, but three turnovers were too much to overcome as Jamaal Williams scored as many points by himself (three rushing touchdowns) as New York did as a team. The Giants had been 7-1 in one-score games but couldn't keep up with a surging Detroit team that's now won three in a row. It was a costly loss too, as second-round pick Wan'Dale Robinson is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. He had put up a game-high 100 receiving yards on nine catches prior to the injury.
Meanwhile, Dallas had no trouble taking care of Minnesota, demolishing the Vikings 40-3 on the road. Nearly everything was clicking for the Cowboys, as Dak Prescott had just one more incompletion than touchdown passes in the victory. Pollard was a star once again with 189 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. Ezekiel Elliott returned and was effective too. There weren't really any negatives as the defense held Minnesota to 183 yards of total offense and a first-quarter field goal. Lost in the shuffle also was Brett Maher, who made a 60-yard field goal as well and now has connected on four of those in his career.
This will be just the second time these longtime rivals have played on Thanksgiving. The only other time was way back in 1992, a game Dallas won easily, 30-3.
Thanksgiving Day: New York (7-3) at Dallas (7-3)
Kickoff: Thursday, Nov. 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Spread: Cowboys -9
Tickets: As low as $60 on SITickets.com*
Three Things to Watch
1. Injury concerns
The quick turnaround will be challenging for both teams to navigate, especially given the injury concerns that popped up after the teams' games on Sunday. With Wan'Dale Robinson (ACL) done for the season, New York will need more from a receiving corps that has left plenty to be desired through the course of this season (see below). The Giants also are beat up along the offensive line and could be shorthanded in the secondary based on the preliminary practice reports. Dallas' biggest concern could be the health of pass rusher Micah Parsons. He suffered what appeared to be a leg injury late in the rout of Minnesota last week but was able to return after sitting out a few plays. Parsons is the engine that drives the Cowboys' league-leading pass rush (42 sacks), as he's one of three players with double-digit sacks to this point. His absence or even if he's limited, could be a huge factor on Thursday. Otherwise, Dallas also is dealing with some sort of bug that has lingered with the team for several weeks. A handful of players were held out of Monday's walkthrough because of it, so that's something worth keeping an eye on as well.
2. Battle of the running backs
These two teams share a lot in common with each other especially when it comes to running the ball. And neither is particularly good at stopping it. New York is 25th defending the run while Dallas is a shade worse at 26th. Of course, the first matchup featured plenty of successful rushes by both teams. Saquon Barkley's 81 rushing yards in Week 3 alone were greater than the 59 he totaled last year in two matchups against the Cowboys. Dallas figures to stack the box against him in order to slow down the Giants' offense. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have started to use Tony Pollard more due to Ezekiel Elliott's knee injury, and he's paid it off royally. Even with Zeke back in the fold (he had as many carries as Pollard vs. Vikings, including two one-yard touchdowns), look for Pollard to lead this backfield as he's been more effective through the course of this season.
3. Who are these guys?
Robinson's injury has forced New York to go even deeper into the wide receiver corps. Eight different receivers have caught passes, with Robinson and Sterling Shepard both gone for the season. Darius Slayton has the most receptions with 24 in nine games with Richie James adding 23. The rest of the healthy group has just 26 receptions overall, with Isaiah Hodgins being used more as of late. Because of the lack of weapons, Daniel Jones has found himself running it more. The signal-caller has 76 carries in 10 games, with 36 of them turning into first downs. We'll see if New York can find a groove offensively, or else what was a hot start could turn into a cold finish.
Final Analysis
Dallas has had a rough recent history on Thanksgiving, but the Cowboys are playing too well to mess this up. If the Giants aren't careful, the wheels on their bus are going to come off and the Commodes will replace them as the third playoff team to come from the NFC East. It might be tight a little early, but the Cowboys have too much offense for New York to keep up.
Prediction: Cowboys 31, Giants 13
