DALLAS — The 3-1 Dallas Cowboys grabbed victory in their first NFC East showdown of the season with a Week 3 trouncing of the Philadelphia Eagles. Now they get an opportunity to see how they stack up against the division rival New York Giants with a winning streak on the line.
The Giants – with old head coach Jason Garrett calling the plays on offense – are 1-3, 0-1 in the division, and 1-1 on the road. They travel to Arlington to take part in the first game of the season series that is set to renew one of the league’s most enduring duels.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys and Giants seek early supremacy in the NFC East:
SERIES FACTS (13)
- The Cowboys are 3-1 for the 17th time in team history. 16 of 23 of those teams made the playoffs. Only the 1961, 1984, 1986, 1987, 2008, and 2019 teams failed to make the playoffs.
- New York is 1-3 for the 19th time in team history. The 1997 Giants are the only team of the past 18 that made the playoffs.
- Since 1990, 126 of 162 teams that started 4-1 made the playoffs.
- Since 1990, 130 of 263 teams that started 3-2 made the playoffs.
- Since 1990, 54 of 254 teams that started 2-3 made the playoffs.
- Since 1990, 11 of 151 teams that started 1-4 made the playoffs.
- The Giants are 21-38-1 on the road in Dallas, including the playoffs. Here is the breakdown by venue:
- Cotton Bowl: 4-6-1
- Texas Stadium: 12-25
- AT&T Stadium: 5-7
- The Giants’ 5-7 record in AT&T Stadium is the second-best among NFC East opponents:
- New York: 5-7
- Philadelphia: 6-8
- Washington: 4-8
- The Cowboys are 14-12-1 against the Giants in October with an 8-7-1 record at home.
- The Cowboys are 17-13 against the Giants in late afternoon games, including the playoffs, with a 12-7 record at home.
- Since 1970, the Cowboys are 172-128 in late afternoon games with a 111-60 record at home.
- Since 1970, the Giants are 91-109 in late afternoon games with a 61-73 record on the road.
- With a Dallas win, the Giants would sustain the second-most losses to a divisional opponent with 70 losses to the Cowboys and relegating Washington’s 69 to third.
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (19)
- Prescott is tied with Russell Wilson and Tom Brady for the third-most touchdown passes with 10.
- Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Prescott’s 1.5% interception percentage is the 10th-lowest in the league.
- Prescott gets sacked on 4.3% of his dropbacks, tied with Kirk Cousins for the eighth-lowest in the league.
- Prescott has the third-highest passer rating in the league at 116.9.
- Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Prescott is tied with Carson Wentz for the fifth-lowest intended air yards per completion at 6.5.
- Prescott has benefited from 552 yards after the catch, the 10th-most in the NFL.
- Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Prescott is tied with Jimmy Garoppolo for the fifth-lowest time in the pocket at 2.2 seconds.
- Prescott has been blitzed 57 times, the second-most in the NFL.
- Prescott is one of 14 quarterbacks who has five red zone touchdown passes without an interception.
- Prescott’s 106 passing yards inside the red zone are the fourth-most in the league.
- Among quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts, Prescott is tied with Jared Goff for the second-best red zone completion percentage at 70.0%.
- Prescott is tied with Goff, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers for the 10th-most red zone passes with 20.
- Prescott has converted the ninth-most third downs through the air with 17.
- Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Prescott has the fifth-highest third down passer rating at 115.3.
- Prescott’s 69.0 completion percentage on third down is the sixth-highest in the NFL among quarterbacks who have started every game.
- Prescott has passed 17 times out of run-pass option, tied with Kyler Murray for the fourth-most in the NFL.
- Prescott’s 107 passing yards out of run-pass option are the ninth-most in the NFL.
- Prescott’s 27 play-action passes are the eighth-lowest in the NFL among quarterbacks who have started every game.
- Prescott has eight more passing yards out of play action than Daniel Jones: 284 to 276.
DANIEL JONES FACTS (10)
- Daniel Jones has had four passes batted at the line of scrimmage, tied with Jalen Hurts for the third-most in the league.
- Jones has had 10 of his passes dropped, tied for the second-most in the NFL.
- Jones has the eighth-most passing yards with 1,184.
- Jones is actually tied with Carson Wentz for the third-lowest interception percentage in the league at 0.7%.
- Jones is tied with Derek Carr for the eighth-highest yards per pass attempt at 8.2.
- Jones also has the eighth-highest yards per completion at 12.3.
- Jones is tied for the seventh-highest time to throw at 2.5.
- Jones has the fifth-most passing yards on third down with 334.
- Jones has converted the 10th-most third downs through the air with 16.
- Among quarterbacks who have started every game, Jones’ 9.3 yards per pass attempt on third down is the sixth-highest in the NFL.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (10)
- Elliott has the sixth-most carries in the NFL with 64.
- Elliott has the fourth-most rushing yards with 342.
- Derrick Henry and James Conner are tied with Elliott for the second-most rushing touchdowns in the NFL with four. Sam Darnold has the most with five.
- Elliott is tied with Conner for the second-most red zone rushing touchdowns with four.
- Elliott has the third-most first downs picked up on the ground with 19.
- Elliott’s 5.3 yards per carry is the ninth-highest in the NFL.
- Elliott’s 5.3 yards per carry is his second-highest through the first four games. His highest is 5.8 from 2018.
- Elliott is tied with Bills quarterback Josh Allen for the most third down carries with nine.
- Elliott has picked up the most third downs on the ground among running backs with five. Allen leads the way with seven.
- Elliott is tied with Kareem Hunt and Sam Darnold for the most rushing touchdowns on third down with two.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (7)
- McCarthy is 3-1 for the third time in his career. 2 of 3 of those Green Bay Packers teams made the playoffs with the 2010 team having won the Super Bowl.
- McCarthy is 6-5 against the Giants with a 3-2 record at home, including the playoffs.
- McCarthy is 16-13 against the NFC East with a 9-4 record at home.
- McCarthy is 56-27-2 in division games with a 31-10-2 record at home.
- McCarthy is 34-18 in October with a 20-7 record at home.
- McCarthy is 48 for 97 on challenges for his career with an 0 for 2 record in 2021.
- McCarthy has extended a winning streak 55 of 83 times.
JOE JUDGE FACTS (3)
- Judge joins Bob Folwell, Steve Owen, Jim Lee Howell, Allie Sherman, Alex Webster, Bill Arnsparger, John McVay, Ray Perkins, Ray Handley, Dan Reeves, Jim Fassel, and Pat Shurmur as the only Giants coaches to start a season 1-3.
- With a 1-1 record against Dallas last year, Judge joined Webster, Arnsparger, and Handley as the only Giants coaches to split the Cowboys series as first-year coaches.
- Judge has never won a challenge. He is 0 for 3 on challenges for his career with an 0 for 1 rate in 2021.
BROADCAST FACTS (8)
- Sunday will be the 33rd game in the series to be broadcast on FOX. Here is a breakdown of previous games by network:
- CBS: 38
- FOX: 32
- NBC: 12
- ABC: 9
- ESPN: 5
- Sunday will be the 31st late afternoon game in the series. Dallas holds a 17-13 advantage in such games.
- Dallas is 146-133 all-time on FOX, including the postseason.
- The Giants are 152-145 all-time on FOX, including the postseason.
- Overall, the Cowboys are 15-17 against the Giants on FOX.
- The Cowboys are 42-50 when Buck does play-by-play for their games.
- Dallas is 48-56 when Aikman does color commentary for their games.
- The final Monday night game played as a precursor to Monday Night Football were select games on CBS. The last such game was played between the Giants and Cowboys on Oct. 27, 1969 with Dallas defeating New York 25-3.
JOHN HUSSEY FACTS (12)
- This week’s referee is John Hussey. The Cowboys are 2-2 when he referees their games:
- 2016 – DET, 42-21 – W
- 2017 – SEA, 12-21 – L
- 2018 – WAS, 17-20 – L
- 2020 – CIN, 30-7 – W
- Dallas has had fewer penalties 1 of 4 times with Hussey:
- 2016 – DET: 5/62; DAL: 8/47
- 2017 – SEA: 11/142; DAL: 7/75
- 2018 – WAS: 5/35; DAL: 8/65
- 2020 – CIN: 3/25; DAL: 5/30
- Hussey is tied for the lowest (.250) home team winning percentage:
- Hussey is tied for the lowest percentage (.000) of home teams having fewer penalties.
- The Giants are 2-5 with Hussey:
- 2015 – @BUF, 24-10 – W
- 2015 – NYJ, 20-23 – L-OT
- 2016 – WAS, 27-29 – L
- 2017 – WAS, 18-10 – W
- 2019 – @NYJ, 27-34 – L
- 2020 – @RAM, 9-17 – L
- 2020 – @RAV, 13-27 – L
- The Giants have had fewer penalties 5 of 7 times with Hussey:
- 2015 – BUF: 17/135; NYG: 11/85
- 2015 – NYJ: 8/61; NYG: 8/60
- 2016 – WAS: 8/70; NYG: 11/128
- 2017 – WAS: 4/35; NYG: 3/25
- 2019 – NYJ: 7/54; NYG: 6/62
- 2020 – RAM: 1/5; NYG: 4/20
- 2020 – RAV: 10/65; NYG: 5/35
- Hussey’s games are tied for the fourth-highest (5.5) sacks on average.
- Hussey’s crew is tied for the fifth-most (3.0) offensive holding calls per game.
- The Cowboys are 0 for 1 in challenging Hussey with opponents similarly going 0 for 1. Replay Assistant has not been a factor.
- The Giants are 0 for 1 challenging Hussey. Opponents are 0 for 3 while Replay Assistant has not yet been a factor.
- Hussey is tied for the highest (1.000, 1 for 1) challenge overturn rate in the NFL.
- Hussey is tied for the highest rate (1.000, 3 for 3) of having his calls overturned by booth review.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (18)
- The Cowboys are 6-5 against former head coaches in any capacity:
- 1996, Week 6 – Jimmy Johnson – @MIA, 29-10 – W
- 1999, Week 12 – Jimmy Johnson – MIA, 20-0 – W
- 2004, Week 2 – Dave Campo (DC) – CLE, 19-12 – W
- 2006, Week 1 – Dave Campo (AHC) – JAX, 17-24 – L
- 2011, Week 10 – Chan Gailey – BUF, 44-7 – W
- 2015, Week 15 – Chan Gailey (OC) – NYJ, 16-19 – L
- 2017, Week 4 – Wade Phillips (DC) – RAM, 30-35 – L
- 2018, NFC divisional – Wade Phillips (DC) – RAM, 22-30 – L
- 2019, Week 15 – Wade Phillips (DC) – RAM, 44-21 – W
- 2020, Week 5 – Jason Garrett (OC) – NYG, 37-34 – W
- 2020, Week 17 – Jason Garrett (OC) – NYG, 19-23 – L
- In terms of yards per play, the Cowboys defense is the third-worst in the NFL at 6.4.
- The Giants are the 10th-worst defense in the league with 5.9 yards per play surrendered.
- Dallas is second in the NFL with 10 takeaways.
- 43.6% of drives against the Giants end in touchdowns, the seventh-highest in the NFL.
- 23.3% of drives against the Cowboys end in turnovers, the highest in the NFL.
- The Cowboys are tied with the Falcons and the Buccaneers for the seventh-most missed tackles in the NFL with 29.
- The Giants have generated 30 pressures, tied with the Falcons for the fourth-fewest in the league.
- New York is tied with New Orleans for the second-fewest sacks with six.
- The average depth of target against the Giants defense is 7.0 yards, the fifth-lowest in the NFL.
- Dallas has produced 24 pass breakups, the second-highest in the NFL.
- The Cowboys have generated eight interceptions, the highest in the league.
- Dallas gives up 315.3 passing yards per game, the second-most in the league.
- Opposing quarterbacks have generated an 89.5 passer rating against the Dallas defense, the 10th-lowest in the NFL.
- Opposing quarterbacks have compiled a 106.2 passer rating against the Giants, the seventh-highest in the NFL.
- The Cowboys are 2-4 on Oct. 10. Here are the results:
- 1965 – PHI, 24-35 – L
- 1976 – @NYG, 24-14 – W
- 1993 – @CLT, 27-3 – W
- 1999 – @PHI, 10-13 – L
- 2004 – NYG, 10-26 – L
- 2010 – OTI, 27-34 – L
- The Giants are 4-7 on Oct. 10. Here are the results:
- 1948 – @PHI, 0-45 – L
- 1954 – @WAS, 51-21 – W
- 1976 – DAL, 14-24 – L
- 1988 – @PHI, 13-24 – L
- 1993 – @WAS, 41-7 – W
- 1994 – MIN, 10-27 – L
- 1999 – @CRD, 3-14 – L
- 2004 – @DAL, 26-10 – W
- 2010 – @HTX, 34-10 – W
- 2013 – @CHI, 21-27 – L
- 2019 – @NE, 14-35 – L
- The Cowboys do not have any birthdays to celebrate or deaths to remember on Oct. 10.
Do you see the Cowboys making it 70 all-time wins against New York on Sunday? Share your favorite facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.