DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys are coming off back-to-back losses at home for the first time since 2020, and they’ll try to work out some issues by going on the road with a short week as they drew the Week 4 Thursday night short straw.
Playing against the New York Giants has been a great elixir for the Cowboys under quarterback Dak Prescott, who hasn’t lost to the Giants since his rookie year. However, this will be a new situation. The Giants won their first game last week and looked much improved from the first couple of weeks behind a competent passing game and a defense that boasts some strengths that will test the Cowboys.
This won’t be an easy win just because the Cowboys have dominated the Giants in recent years. Here are the strengths and weaknesses for Dallas’ opponent ahead of their Week 4 matchup:
Strength: Defensive line
The Giants have just one win on the year and their defense has some problems on the back end, but they have a stout defensive line that could spell trouble for the Cowboys.
On the interior, Dexter Lawrence is among the top players in the game at defensive tackle. Lawrence is a two-time All-Pro who not only clogs rushing lanes but can also rush the passer. With two sacks against the Cleveland Browns, Lawrence led a defense that sacked QB Deshaun Watson eight times in their 21-15 win.
Lawrence leads the defense, but the Giants also have bookend pass rushers in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns that make life difficult on quarterbacks. The Giants are second in the NFL in sacks with 14 and they present a challenge for a retooled Cowboys offensive line that has yet to gel.
In three games, Prescott has been sacked nine times, as left tackle Tyler Guyton has taken his lumps during the first few weeks of his rookie season and right tackle Terence Steele has struggled in pass protection.
A good defensive line against an offensive line still trying to mesh after starting two rookies is a tough combination.
Weakness: Rushing defense
For as good as they can be along the defensive line, the Giants still have problems stopping the run. It’s a defense that ranks 23rd in the league, giving up almost 132 yards per game rushing.
The Browns couldn’t take advantage but in Week 1, the Giants gave up 111 rushing yards to the Minnesota Vikings, and against the Washington Commanders, the defense allowed 215 yards on the ground. All it takes is an offense that is committed to running the ball to be successful against the Giants’ porous run defense.
The problem for the Cowboys will be staying with the running game, even if it isn’t working. Mike McCarthy’s rushing attack is 29th in the league in yards per game, and only two other teams have less attempts on the ground than the Cowboys’ 62.
If the Cowboys want to end their losing streak and challenge the Giants, they’ll need to run the ball better than they have through three games.
Strength: Malik Nabers
The Giants don’t have a great passing offense, but what they do have is one of the best young wide receivers in the league. Malik Nabers was the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, and he’s wasted no time in proving that he was worth the selection.
Nabers is currently fifth in the league in receiving yards and second in receptions with 23, while also tied for tops in touchdowns with three. As a rookie, he’s the most targeted WR in the NFL with 37 looks in the passing game, which is 14 more than the next Giants receiver, and 15 more than the second-most targeted rookie in Marvin Harrison.
In Week 3 against the Browns, Nabers continued his breakout with 78 yards and two scores, one of which was a beautiful toe drag on the side of the end zone.
The Cowboys will need to find a way to make QB Daniel Jones look elsewhere instead of throwing to Nabers if they want to win in Week 4. If Nabers is held in check, the Cowboys should be able to slow down the passing game for the Giants.
Weakness: Offensive line/QB
New York has spent significant resources to improve their offensive line over the last few years, but they still struggle to protect the quarterback. Since the start of the 2023 season, the Giants have given up the most sacks in the league at 93, which is 14 more than the next closest team.
Against the Browns in Week 3, Jones was sacked five times, despite the team leading for most of the game. This season, Jones has been sacked eight times, and even though not all of those are on the offensive line group, the QB has been under pressure for most of his career and is prone to sitting in the pocket too long.
Jones is also someone who gets flustered when harassed, often leading to mistakes. In 63 career games, the six year veteran QB has 79 total touchdowns, while also turning the ball over 49 times. Jones has fumbled 15 times over his six seasons, so he has issues protecting the ball.
The Cowboys have only one sack over the last two games, and that will need to change if they want to get back to their winning ways. If the defense can pressure Jones behind a suspect offensive line and force the QB into questionable decisions they should be able to beat the Giants.
Which matchups do you think the Cowboys can exploit in their Week 4 contest? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
