DALLAS — If there is one area where the Dallas Cowboys have dominated in 2021, it has been their play within the division. The Cowboys head into Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants with a perfect 3-0 record against the rest of the NFC East with a win against each rival.
Most recently, the Cowboys stomped the Washington Football Team 27-20 in Week 14 in a game that was not as close as the final score would indicate. In the three wins over Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, Dallas has outscored the East squads by a combined score of 112-68 as they near a division title.
The Cowboys will have their first shot at a season-series sweep against New York. The Giants most recently lost 37-21 in Week 14 to the Los Angeles Chargers. For a third consecutive week, New York is expected to be without starting quarterback Daniels Jones. The Giants are 0-2 with backup Mike Glennon behind center.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys look to finish off a sweep of the Giants from MetLife Stadium:
SERIES FACTS (10)
-The Cowboys are 9-4 for the ninth time in team history. Here are the final fates of the other eight teams:
- Lost divisional: 1985, 2014
- Lost conference: 1973
- Lost league title/Super Bowl: 1967, 1970, 1975, 1978
- Won league title/Super Bowl: 1993
-Since 1990, all of the 78 teams that started 10-4 made the playoffs with 49 of the 78 winning the division.
-Since 1990, 92 of 110 teams that started 9-5 made the playoffs with 42 of the 92 coming away with the division.
-The Giants are 4-9 for the seventh time in team history. None of the previous teams made the playoffs and only the 2014 team had the best finish of 6-10.
-Since 1990, zero of the 108 teams that started 5-9 made the playoffs with 7-9 being the best finish (most recent: 2020 Los Angeles Chargers).
-Since 1990, zero of the 81 teams that started 4-10 made the playoffs with 6-10 being the top result (most recent: 2017 San Francisco 49ers).
-Dallas is going for their 24th sweep of the Giants in series history. With 23 sweeps so far, it is the most sweeps against a divisional foe in Cowboys history. For the Giants, it is also the most they have sustained against a divisional opponent since 1960.
-Dallas is 31-26-1 against the New York Giants on the road. Here is the record broken down by venue:
- Yankee Stadium: 7-3-1
- Yale Bowl: 2-0
- Shea Stadium: 1-0
- Giants Stadium: 14-19
- MetLife Stadium: 7-4
-The Cowboys’ 7-4 record against the Giants at MetLife Stadium is the second-best among NFC East opponents:
- Philadelphia: 8-4
- Dallas: 7-4
- Washington: 4-7
-Since 1970, the Cowboys have a 68-64 mark in early afternoon games played in the Eastern Time Zone.
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (14)
-Prescott is 21-6 in his career against the NFC East with a 9-4 record on the road.
-Prescott has completed a series sweep 7 of 9 times with a rate of 3 for 5 on the road.
-Prescott has thrown the ninth-most touchdowns in the NFL with 24.
-Prescott is tied with Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz, and Teddy Bridgewater for the eighth-most red zone touchdown passes with 15.
-Prescott averages the fifth-most passing yards per game at 281.8.
-Prescott’s 3,485 intended air yards are the 10th-highest in the NFL.
-Prescott has benefited from 1,630 yards after the catch, the eighth-most in the NFL.
-Prescott has the 10th-highest passer rating in the league at 98.1.
-Prescott is tied with Patrick Mahomes for the sixth-lowest sack percentage at 4.6% of plays.
-Prescott has been blitzed 137 times, the fourth-highest in the NFL.
-Prescott has been pressured on 19.1% of his dropbacks, the third-lowest in the league.
-Prescott has thrown the seventh-most touchdowns on first down with eight.
-Prescott is tied for the 10th-most interceptions thrown on first down with three.
-Prescott is tied with Mac Jones and Aaron Rodgers for the 10th-most third down conversions through the air with 45.
MIKE GLENNON FACTS (5)
-Glennon has not won a game since Sept. 24, 2017, when he led the Chicago Bears to a 23-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
-Glennon replaced an injured Daniel Jones in the Oct. 10 matchup from Week 6, going 16-of-25 for 192 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, and did not take a sack.
-Glennon has not thrown for over 300 yards since Sept. 17, 2017, in a 29-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
-The only time Glennon started against the NFC East was on Oct. 13, 2013, when the Buccaneers lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 31-20.
-Tampa Bay chose Glennon with their third-round pick in 2013. The only other third-round quarterback in Buccaneers history is Chris Simms.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (10)
-Elliott is eighth overall in the league with 810 rushing yards.
-Elliott is tied with Jalen Hurts and Leonard Fournette for the seventh-most rushing touchdowns with eight.
-Elliott is tied with Derrick Henry for the fifth-most red zone rushing touchdowns with eight.
-Elliott’s 451 yards before contact are the sixth-highest in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 15 first downs by rush on first down are tied with Najee Harris and James Robinson for the seventh-most in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 508 rushing yards on first down are the seventh-most in the league.
-Elliott has taken 111 first down rushes, the eighth-most in the league.
-Elliott is tied with Fournette and Ryan Tannehill for the seventh-most third down conversions on the ground with 12.
-Elliott is tied for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns on third down with two.
-Elliott is tied with D’Andre Swift for the seventh-most third down carries with 19.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (7)
-This is the 70th week that a McCarthy coached team has held undisputed first place in the division and his 12th with the Cowboys.
-McCarthy is 7-5 against the Giants. Here is how that compares to the rest of the NFC East:
- Philadelphia: 7-3
- NY Giants: 7-5
- Washington: 4-5
-McCarthy is 18-13 overall against the NFC East with an 8-9 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 58-27-2 in division games with a 26-17 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 40-18 in December with a 16-13 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 13-5 against backup quarterbacks with a 2-2 record on the road.
-McCarthy has extended a winning streak 58 of 87 opportunities.
JOE JUDGE FACTS (7)
-Judge joins Alex Webster, Bill Arnsparger, Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, Jim Fassel, and Tom Coughlin as the only Giants coaches to start a season 4-9.
-Judge is 1-5 in December with an 0-2 record at home.
-Judge is 4-6 against Super Bowl-winning coaches with a 2-1 record at home.
-Judge is 5-4 against the NFC East with a 4-0 record at MetLife Stadium.
-Judge’s 1-2 record against Dallas is his worst against an NFC East opponent:
- Washington: 2-1
- Philadelphia: 2-1
- Dallas: 1-2
-Judge is 2 for 2 at staving off a divisional sweep with both of those games coming at MetLife Stadium.
-Judge is 0 for 2 on challenges for his career with an 0 for 1 rate in 2021.
BROADCAST FACTS (11)
-Sunday will be the 34th game in the series to be broadcast on FOX. Here is a breakdown of previous games by network:
- CBS: 38
- FOX: 33
- NBC: 12
- ABC: 9
- ESPN: 5
-The Cowboys have completed a series sweep of a NFC East opponent 25 of 46 times on FOX.
-Dallas is 150-135 all-time on FOX, including the postseason.
-The Giants are 154-149 all-time on FOX, including the postseason.
-Overall, the Cowboys are 16-17 against the Giants on FOX.
-This week’s play-by-play team is Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth, making them the 52nd different broadcast team in the series.
-This is the first Cowboys game that will feature Adam Amin on the call.
-The Giants are 4-4 when Amin calls their games on television.
-This is the first Cowboys game that Schlereth will provide analysis.
-The Giants are 4-5 when Schlereth calls their games.
-This is the 42nd early game in the series and the 17th to be broadcast by FOX.
JEROME BOGER FACTS (12)
-This week’s referee is Jerome Boger. Dallas has a record of 9-6 with Boger making the calls:
- 2006 — @OTI, 45-14 – W
- 2006 — @ATL, 38-28 – W
- 2008 — @NYG, 14-35 – L
- 2009 — SEA, 38-17 – W
- 2010 — NO, 27-30 – L
- 2011 — BUF, 44-7 – W
- 2013 — @KC, 16-17 – L
- 2013 — @NO, 17-49 – L
- 2014 — NYG, 31-21 – W
- 2014 — @WAS, 44-17 – W
- 2016 — PHI, 29-23 – W-OT
- 2017 — SDG, 6-28 – L
- 2019 — PHI, 37-10 – W
- 2020 — @PHI, 9-23 – L
- 2021 — CAR, 36-28 – W
-The Cowboys have been penalized less than the opposition in 6 of 15 games with Boger:
- 2006 — OTI: 5/55; DAL: 5/61
- 2006 — ATL: 8/68; DAL: 4/32
- 2008 — NYG: 8/65; DAL: 9/55
- 2009 — SEA: 6/53; DAL: 5/43
- 2010 — NO: 4/30; DAL: 4/19
- 2011 — BUF: 3/12; DAL: 8/74
- 2013 — KC: 10/45; DAL: 5/27
- 2013 — NO: 6/44; DAL: 11/82
- 2014 — NYG: 6/40; DAL: 6/46
- 2014 — WAS: 9/101; DAL: 7/48
- 2016 — PHI: 5/40; DAL: 11/84
- 2017 — SDG: 5/56; DAL: 7/60
- 2019 — PHI: 5/40; DAL: 6/65
- 2020 — PHI: 4/28; DAL: 7/68
- 2021 — CAR: 6/32; DAL: 7/50
-Boger is tied for the second-lowest (.417) home team winning percentage.
-Boger is tied for the sixth-lowest (.500) percentage of home teams with fewer penalties.
-The Giants have gone 6-6 with Boger as the ref. Here are the results:
- 2008 – DAL, 35-14 – W
- 2009 – @KC, 27-16 – W
- 2010 – CAR, 31-18 – W
- 2011 – @Cardinals, 31-27 – W
- 2012 – @WAS, 16-17 – L
- 2013 – @DET, 23-20 – W-OT
- 2014 – @DAL, 21-31 – L
- 2017 – @PHI, 24-27 – L
- 2017 – @SF, 21-31 – L
- 2018 – @CAR, 31-33 – L
- 2019 – MIA, 36-20 – W
- 2021 – @KC, 17-20 – L
-The Giants have been penalized less in 7 of 12 times with Boger:
- 2008 – DAL: 9/55; NYG: 8/65
- 2009 – KC: 7/55; NYG: 8/54
- 2010 – CAR: 7/63; NYG: 9/95
- 2011 – Cardinals: 11/118; NYG: 7/55
- 2012 – WAS: 4/56; NYG: 9/73
- 2013 – DET: 7/60; NYG: 5/30
- 2014 – DAL: 6/46; NYG: 6/40
- 2017 – PHI: 9/103; NYG: 10/137
- 2017 – SF: 6/44; NYG: 4/35
- 2018 – CAR: 4/22; NYG: 8/62
- 2019 – MIA: 7/42; NYG: 4/32
- 2021 – KC: 12/103; NYG: 10/88
-Boger’s games have the fifth-most (4.8) sacks per game.
-Boger calls the fewest (1.6) offensive holding penalties per game.
-Dallas is 6 for 7 challenging Boger. Opponents are 0 for 3. Replay Assistant is 3 for 4 with two of those decisions benefiting the Cowboys.
-The Giants are 1 for 3 on challenges with Boger with opponents going 4 for 9. Replay Assistant is 8 for 14 with seven of those calls benefiting the Giants.
-Boger has the fifth-lowest (.250, 1 for 4) coaches challenge overturn rate.
-Boger’s crew has the fifth-highest (.833, 5 for 6) booth review overturn rate.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (24)
-The Cowboys are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 10th-shortest time of possession per drive at 2:40.
-The Cowboys have entered the red zone 47 times, the 10th-most trips in the NFL.
-Dallas has a 55.3% red zone conversion rate, the ninth-most in the NFL.
-New York has the fifth-shortest time of possession per drive at 2:36.
-The Giants have entered the red zone 34 times, the sixth-fewest trips in the NFL.
-The Giants have the worst red zone conversion rate in the NFL at 47.1%.
-The Cowboys have the second-most takeaways with 27.
-Dallas’ defense has forced a takeaway on 16.9% of their drives, the third-most in the NFL.
-Opponents have compiled a 78.2 passer rating against the Cowboys defense, the third-lowest in the NFL.
-The Cowboys have generated 88 quarterback hits, the fourth-most in the NFL.
-Dallas has produced 146 pressures, the third-most in the league.
-The Cowboys are tied with the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts for the seventh-highest yards per carry surrendered at 4.5.
-Dallas is tied with the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears for the 10th-most missed tackles with 89.
-New York’s defense has forced a takeaway on 13.7% of their drives, the ninth-highest in the league.
-The Giants have the eighth-fewest missed tackles with 77.
-The Giants have the eighth-fewest sacks in the league with 25.
-New York has the second-most tackles for loss with 41.
-The Giants have generated 98 pressures, the fifth-fewest in the NFL.
-New York’s defense has given up 125.0 rushing yards per game, the eighth-most in the league.
-Giants safety Xavier McKinney is tied for the third-most interceptions with five.
-Giants cornerback James Bradberry is tied for the ninth-most pass breakups with 12.
-The Cowboys are 5-4 on Dec. 19. Here are the results:
- 1965 — @NYG, 38-20 — W
- 1981 — @NYG, 10-13 — L-OT
- 1982 — NO, 21-7 — W
- 1983 — @SF, 17-42 — L
- 1994 — @NO, 24-16 — W
- 1999 — NYJ, 21-22 — L
- 2004 — @PHI, 7-12 — L
- 2009 — @NO, 24-17 — W
- 2010 — WAS, 33-30 — W
-The Giants are 3-5 on Dec. 19. Here are the results:
- 1965 — DAL, 20-38 — L
- 1971 — PHI, 28-41 — L
- 1981 — DAL, 13-10 — W-OT
- 1982 — @WAS, 14-15 — L
- 1987 — GB, 20-10 — W
- 1992 — KC, 35-21 — W
- 1999 — @RAM, 10-31 — L
- 2010 — PHI, 31-38 — L
-The Cowboys have three birthdays to celebrate on Dec. 19:
- 1959 — Phil Pozderac, OT, 1982-86
- 1969 — Michael Bates, RB, 2003
- 1974 — Bryant Westbrook, CB, 2002
Do you think the Cowboys will extend their lead in the all-time series (70-47-2) against the Giants on Sunday? Share your predictions with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.