DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys stumbled to a disheartening 49-38 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 4 to fall to 1-3 as the first quarter of the 2020 season came to a close. The good news for the Cowboys is the rest of the NFC East doesn’t appear to be strong thus far and they get their first look at a divisional opponent as the New York Giants make their way to AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as Dallas looks to bounce back:
SERIES FACTS (11)
-The Cowboys are 1-3 for the seventh time in franchise history. 1 of 6 of those teams made the playoffs (1996).
-The Giants are 0-4 for the sixth time in franchise history. None of those teams made the playoffs.
-Since 1990, when playoff formats were last tinkered with, 10 of 147 teams that started 1-4 made the playoffs compared to 0 of 61 teams that started 0-5. 7 of 10 of the 1-4 teams won their division.
-Since 1990, not one of the 61 teams that started 0-5 finished the season with a winning record.
-The Giants are 21-37-1 on the road in Dallas, including playoffs. Here is the breakdown by venue:
Cotton Bowl: 4-6-1
Texas Stadium: 12-25
AT&T Stadium: 5-6
-The Giants’ 5-6 record in AT&T Stadium is the second-best among NFC East opponents:
Philadelphia: 6-6
New York: 5-6
Washington: 3-8
-The Cowboys are 13-12-1 against the Giants in October with a 7-7-1 record at home.
-The Cowboys are 16-13 against the Giants in late afternoon games, including playoffs, with an 11-7 record at home.
-Since 1970, the Cowboys are 168-126 in late afternoon games with a 109-58 record at home.
-Since 1970, the Giants are 91-106 in late afternoon games with a 61-71 record on the road.
-With a Dallas win, the Giants would sustain the second-most losses to a divisional opponent with 69 losses to the Cowboys. Dallas and Washington are currently tied with 68.
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (18)
-Prescott leads the NFL with 137 passes completed. The next highest is rookie QB Joe Burrow with 116 completions.
-Prescott leads the NFL with 1,690 passing yards. The nearest quarterback is Josh Allen with 1,326.
-Prescott’s 1,690 passing yards are the most by a quarterback through four games of a season. Kurt Warner was nearest with 1,557 in 2000. Warner also had a higher yards per pass attempt (11.5 to 8.4).
-Prescott is tied with Joe Montana and Warren Moon for the 11th-most 400-yard games since 1950 with seven.
-Prescott is 3,214 yards away from setting a single-season high in passing yards (Tony Romo, 4,903, 2012). If Prescott averages 275 yards for the remaining 12 games, he will set the new record.
-Prescott’s nine touchdowns are tied for the most he has through the first four games of a season (2019).
-Prescott’s nine touchdowns are tied with his own 2019 season, Don Meredith (1967), Roger Staubach (1978), and Danny White (1982) for the fourth-most by a Cowboys quarterback through the first four games.
-Prescott is tied for the 10th-most interceptions in the NFL with three.
-Prescott’s 8.4 yards per pass attempt is the seventh-most among quarterbacks who have played every game.
-Prescott actually trails Matt Ryan for the league lead in intended air yards (1,638 to 1,606). However, Prescott is leading Ryan in completed air yards (943 to 826).
-Prescott has benefited from 747 yards after the catch.
-Prescott has had 11 of his passes dropped, the third-most in the NFL.
-Prescott is tied for the seventh-longest time to throw with 2.5 seconds in the pocket.
-Prescott is tied with Dwayne Haskins for the fourth-most run-pass option plays with 31. Prescott has the third-most passing yards out of the option with 236.
-Prescott has thrown 55 play-action passes, the third-most in the league. Prescott’s 528 passing yards off play-action are also third-most in the league.
-Prescott has been pressured 47 times, the second-most in the NFL. Deshaun Watson has been pressured the most with 49.
-Prescott is tied with Ezekiel Elliott for the sixth-most red zone rushing touchdowns with three.
-Prescott has been blitzed 59 times, the second-most in the NFL. Daniel Jones has been blitzed the most with 69.
DANIEL JONES FACTS (10)
-Jones is tied with Kyler Murray and Ryan Fitzpatrick for the third-most interceptions with five.
-Among quarterbacks who have played every game, Jones’ 6.0 yards per pass attempt are the third-lowest in the league.
-Among quarterbacks who have played every game, Jones’ 9.8 yards per completion are the fifth-lowest in the NFL.
-Among quarterbacks who have played every game, Jones’ 68.3 passer rating is the second-lowest in the NFL.
-Jones is tied with Carson Wentz for the third-most sacks in the NFL with 14.
-Jones has had eight of his passes dropped, tied with Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan for the eighth-most in the NFL.
-Jones leads the NFL with two red zone interceptions.
-Among quarterbacks who have played every game, Jones’ 78.6 passer rating on first down is the third-lowest.
-Among quarterbacks who have played every game, Jones’ 6.5 yards per pass attempt on first down are the fifth-lowest in the NFL.
-Among quarterbacks who have played every game, Jones’ 66.7 completion percentage on third down is tied with Ryan and Jared Goff for the 10th-highest.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (8)
-Elliott is tied with Josh Jacobs for the second-most first downs on the ground with 19.
-Among running backs with at least 60 carries, Elliott’s 3.9 yards per carry are tied with Todd Gurley for the fourth-lowest in the league.
-Elliott’s three fumbles are the most for running backs through the first four games.
-Among running backs with at least 50 carries, Elliott’s 1.7 yards before contact are tied with Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry for the fifth-lowest in the league.
-Elliott is tied with Melvin Gordon for the 10th-most yards after contact with 152.
-Elliott is tied with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Nick Chubb for the 10th-most broken tackles with seven.
-Elliott has carried the fifth-most on first downs this season with 44.
-This is the longest Elliott has gone into a season without recording his first 100-yard rushing game.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (8)
-McCarthy is 1-3 for the second time in his career. The first time was his first ever season with the Green Bay Packers in 2006, who finished 8-8.
-McCarthy is 5-4 against the Giants with a 2-2 record at home, including playoffs.
-McCarthy is 13-9 against the NFC East with a 6-3 record at home.
-McCarthy is 53-23-2 in division games with a 28-9-2 record at home.
-McCarthy is 32-16 in October with an 18-7 record at home.
-McCarthy is 14 for 26 when it comes to snapping a losing streak.
-McCarthy is 22-10 against rookie coaches with a 12-6 record at home.
-The Cowboys’ nine turnovers are the second-most for McCarthy through the first four games. The most were with the Green Bay Packers in 2006 with 10.
JOE JUDGE FACTS (4)
-Judge and Ray Perkins are the only Giants first-year coaches to start 0-4.
-A win would join Judge with Allie Sherman, Bill Arnsparger, Jim Fassel, Tom Coughlin, and Ben McAdoo as coaches who defeated the Cowboys in their first try with the Giants.
-Judge is the second former Bill Belichick assistant to start 0-4. The first was Brian Flores, who started 0-7 with the Miami Dolphins last season.
-Though Judge was also doubling up as receivers coach with the New England Patriots in 2019, he and the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh are the only active coaches to go from special teams coordinator straight to head coach with another team.
BROADCAST FACTS (10)
-Sunday will be the 38th game in the series to be broadcast on CBS. Here is a breakdown of previous games by network:
CBS: 37
FOX: 31
NBC: 12
ABC: 9
ESPN: 5
-Since CBS took over the AFC package, the Cowboys are 24-17 on that network. Overall, the Cowboys are 291-194-6 on CBS, including the postseason.
-Since CBS took over the AFC package, the Giants are 26-20 overall. Since 1960, the Giants are 203-203-7 on the network, including the postseason.
-Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are the 48th different play-by-play team in the series.
-The Cowboys are 20-14 when Nantz calls their games, playoffs included.
-The Giants are 7-5 when Nantz calls their games.
-Dallas is 2-4 when Romo calls the action.
-The Giants are 0-1 when Romo calls the action.
-Sunday will be the 30th late afternoon game in the series. Dallas holds a 16-13 advantage in such 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.
CRAIG WROLSTAD FACTS (11)
-This week’s referee is Craig Wrolstad. The Cowboys have a 6-2 record with Wrolstad. Here are the results:
2014 – ARI, 17-28 – L
2015 – NYJ, 16-19 – L
2016 – CHI, 31-17 – W
2016 – WAS, 31-26 – W
2017 – @ARI, 28-17 – W
2017 – WAS, 38-14 – W
2018 – @ATL, 22-19 – W
2019 – WAS, 47-16 – W
-The Cowboys have had fewer penalties than the opposition 5 of 8 times with Wrolstad:
2014 – ARI: 6/62; DAL: 5/33
2015 – NYJ: 8/61; DAL: 6/54
2016 – CHI: 6/45; DAL: 4/45
2016 – WAS: 3/30; DAL: 3/25
2017 – ARI: 6/50; DAL: 9/76
2017 – WAS: 7/43; DAL: 3/25
2018 – ATL: 2/15; DAL: 2/20
2019 – WAS: 2/10; DAL: 10/81
-Wrolstad is tied for the seventh-lowest home team winning percentage at .500.
-Wrolstad’s games have the third-lowest percentage of home teams having fewer penalties at .250.
-The Giants are 2-6 with Wrolstad refereeing their games:
2014 – @JAX, 24-25 – L
2015 – @NO, 49-52 – L
2015 – @MIA, 31-24 – W
2016 – CHI, 22-16 – W
2017 – @TB, 23-25 – L
2018 – JAX, 15-20 – L
2019 – GB, 13-31 – L
2020 – PIT, 16-26 – L
-The Giants have had fewer penalties in 7 of 8 of their games with Wrolstad:
2014 – JAX: 7/49; NYG: 6/40
2015 – NO: 12/93; NYG: 6/53
2015 – MIA: 12/123; NYG: 3/25
2016 – CHI: 5/40; NYG: 4/35
2017 – TB: 4/19; NYG: 1/0
2018 – JAX: 11/119; NYG: 6/43
2019 – GB: 7/54; NYG: 4/31
2020 – PIT: 3/21; NYG: 4/25
-Wrolstad’s games have the second-lowest number of sacks per game at 3.0.
-Wrolstad is tied for the fifth-highest offensive holding calls per game at 2.3.
-Dallas is 0 for 2 when challenging Wrolstad while opponents are 2 for 2. Replay Assistant is 0 for 1 with none of those calls benefiting the Cowboys.
-The Giants are 1 for 4 challenging Wrolstad while opponents are 0 for 2. Replay Assistant is 0 for 1 with none of those calls benefiting New York.
-Wrolstad has yet to go under the hood this season for a replay.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (20)
-The Cowboys are 5-4 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
-Amari Cooper has the third-most receiving yards in the NFL with 401.
-Cooper has been targeted the most in the NFL with 51 passes.
-Michael Gallup has the third-highest yards per reception in the NFL with 21.2.
-Giants cornerback James Bradberry has the most pass breakups in the NFL with nine.
-Aldon Smith did not get a sack last week, but the Cowboys edge defender still has the third-most sacks in the NFL with 4.0.
-Giants inside linebacker Blake Martinez is tied with Zach Cunningham for the second-most combined tackles with 43.
-Martinez is also tied with teammate Kyler Fackrell and others for the third-most tackles for loss with five.
-The Giants defense has the 10th-lowest average depth of pass target at 7.6 yards.
-The Giants are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the ninth-most pass breakups with 18.
-Dallas is tied for the fourth-most pass breakups with 12.
-Opposing quarterbacks have compiled a 114.3 passer rating against the Cowboys defense, the third-highest in the NFL.
-Opposing quarterbacks have compiled a 103.1 passer rating against the Giants defense, the 10th-highest in the NFL.
-The Giants are tied with the Falcons and Bills for the 10th-most quarterback hits with 24.
-The Cowboys have a 71.4% red zone conversion rate, the seventh-best in the NFL.
-The Giants are dead last in red zone conversion rate in the NFL at 20.0%.
-New York’s offense has the sixth-lowest third down conversion rate in the league at 37.3%.
-The Cowboys are 6-2-1 on Oct. 11. Here are the results:
1964 – NYG, 13-13 – T
1970 – ATL, 13-0 – W
1971 – NYG, 20-13 – W
1981 – @SF, 14-45 – L
1987 – PHI, 41-22 – W
1992 – SEA, 27-0 – W
1998 – CAR, 27-20 – W
2009 – @KC, 26-20 – W-OT
2015 – NE, 6-30 – L
-The Giants are 7-7-2 on Oct. 11. Here are the results:
1925 – Providence Steam Roller, 0-14 – L
1931 – @CHI, 0-6 – L
1936 – Brooklyn Dodgers, 10-10 – T
1942 – PHI, 35-17 – W
1953 – @WAS, 9-13 – L
1959 – @CLE, 10-6 – W
1964 – @DAL, 13-13 – T
1970 – PHI, 30-23 – W
1971 – @DAL, 13-20 – L
1981 – CRD, 34-14 – W
1987 – WAS, 12-38 – L
1992 – CRD, 31-21 – W
1998 – ATL, 20-34 – L
2009 – RAI, 44-7 – W
2015 – SF, 30-27 – W
2018 – PHI, 13-34 – L
-The Cowboys only have one birthday to celebrate on Oct. 11, and that is defensive tackle Henry Melton, who was born in 1986. Melton played all 16 games for Dallas, starting in three of them, and recording five sacks and 11 tackles.
Did you know that the Cowboys and Giants tied 31-31 in their first-ever meeting in 1960? Share your favorite facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
