GAME SET WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (5-3) at New York Giants (6-1)
WHEN: Sunday, 3:15 p.m. (CST)
WHERE: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N. J.
TELEVISION: Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Pam Oliver)
BIG ISSUE: The odds seem stacked against the Cowboys. Even after an impressive defensive victory last week against Tampa Bay, no one wants to give Dallas a chance against the defending champion Giants. The Giants are more productive offensively than the Buccaneers are, and with a ferocious pass rush, the Cowboys have to be worried about keeping backup quarterback Brad Johnson upright. If Dallas can come out of this game with a win, no matter how sloppy, the entire landscape of the NFC East could change. The Cowboys would move to a half-game behind the Giants at 6-3, and if the Redskins lose to Pittsburgh, could be tied for second place in the NFC East. But lose this game, and it's a long uphill road to the playoffs, since the Giants would move to 2½ games ahead of the Cowboys in the division.
The Giants might be in danger of not taking this game seriously. Defensive end Justin Tuck talked earlier this week as if New York had already won. New York's road win against the Steelers last week was impressive, although not as dominating as the final score indicates - the Giants needed an unforced special teams miscue (a long snap on a punt that sailed out of the end zone) to get back in the game in the fourth quarter. If the Giants want to continue to enjoy life at the top of the NFC, they must take an ailing Cowboys team, one that played with an unprecedented fire last week, seriously.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: Many have questioned whether the Cowboys, even though they held Tampa Bay touchdown-less and with only nine points, can stop the Giants offense. The Giants are ranked third in the league in total offense, but that's measured by yards, not scoring, and the Cowboys didn't beat the Bucs by cutting down on their yardage production; they beat them by keeping them out of the end zone in the 13-9 victory. But when it comes to scoring the Giants are eighth in the league, and the Bucs are 15th and those two spots are separated by less than a touchdown. If the Cowboys can keep the Bucs out of the end zone, there's a good chance they can repeat the task against New York.
Much has been made of the Giants' league-leading pass rush (26 sacks), but things are put in perspective when looking at the teams they've played. Four of the seven teams they've played rank in the top five in most sacks allowed - San Francisco (first, 34 sacks allowed), Cincinnati (third, 28 sacks), Pittsburgh (tied for fifth, 24 sacks) and St. Louis (tied for fifth, 24 sacks). The Redskins, who the Giants opened the season with, have allowed the 12th most sacks with 16, making that five of the Giants' seven opponents ranking in the bottom half of the league in pass protection. The Cowboys are tied with another of the Giants opponents, Seattle, for 17th, giving up 13 sacks - six of those in the past two games with Johnson at quarterback.
ONE-ON-ONE: The Giants, even after losing Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to injury, have quite an impressive set of pass-rushing bookends with Justin TuckMatthias Kiwanuka. The two have combined for 11 sacks so far this season and are the driving force behind the Giants four-man pass rush. The Cowboys offensive line has seemed more porous than usual in the past two weeks, allowing those six sacks of Johnson, but the entire line, and more specifically tackles Marc Columbo and Flozell Adams, will need to step up against Kiwanuka, Tuck, and the NFL top team in sacks.
Despite the Giants increased pass production, they're still a run first team. Starting running back Brandon Jacobs will receive a healthy amount of carries, although he will be relieved periodically by Derrick Ward. Jacobs is a powerful back who is rarely stopped at the line of scrimmage, but he also has the speed to turn the corner on outside runs. The Cowboys defensive line will do its best to stop Jacobs, but it will likely come down to a combination of the linebacker corps, led by inside linebacker Bradie James, and the Cowboys' safeties, now including strong safety Keith Davis, to stop Jacobs if he breaks through. Sound tackling will be paramount, since Jacobs is about as hard to bring down as the Cowboys' own Marion Barber.
SUPPORTING ROLE: Maybe starting tight end Jason Witten will gut it out (literally) and play despite not practicing all week with a broken rib, but that seems doubtful. Even if he did play, it'd probably be only for a limited number of snaps, meaning rookie tight end Martellus Bennett and third-year backup Tony Curtis will be called on to fill the void. Witten suggested earlier in the week that neither were particularly prepared to play once he left last week's game against Tampa Bay, but that shouldn't be the case this week, especially since head coach Wade Phillips said Bennett ended up playing a total of 55 snaps against the Bucs. Phillips said both are better blockers than receivers right now, but both tight ends possess game-changing athleticism catching the ball, Bennett more so than Curtis, however. The Cowboys may need their blocking skills to help out in the running game or to pass protect, but they will also use both tight ends as valuable dump-off options for Johnson.
The Giants already self-depleted their linebacker corps at the beginning of the season by moving Kiwanuka back to defensive end, and now they will start a rookie at outside linebacker since Gerris Wilkinson still is out with the knee injury he suffered in Week 6. That rookie is Brian Kehl, out of Brigham Young. Kehl has played solidly in his previous two starts, although he had his best game after being thrust into the mix when Wilkinson went down against Cleveland in Week 6, totaling six tackles, five of which were unassisted. He did record an interception last week against Pittsburgh, one of four thrown by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
HEADSET GAMES: The biggest question facing the Cowboys all week is can they beat the Giants the same way they beat the Buccaneers? The answer is yet another question: Do they have any other choice? Johnson's playmaking abilities are quite limited to game management, and while with another week of practice with the offense he might be more accurate, the Giants defense will hardly be worried about the deep ball. Phillips said earlier in the week that the club has come up with a few ideas for squeezing more out of the offense, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a few creative formations on Sunday. And, with the advent of the "Wildcat" formation and the widespread use of trick plays across the league, don't be surprised to see a few, well, surprises.
If the Cowboys defense can play as inspired as it did against Tampa Bay, then they have a shot at stopping the Giants. The Cowboys caught a major break with cornerback Anthony Henry's quad injury since the veteran corner will likely be able to start, giving them at least one experienced corner to butt heads with Giants receiver Plaxico Burress. But the key to stopping New York will not be in the secondary, but in the pass rush. Phillips, who became more involved in the defensive play-calling duties last week, dialed up more blitzes against Tampa Bay, resulting in numerous pressures and a sack by James. Phillips was mum on whether the same approach would be used this week, but it's likely it will, making the Giants guess where the fifth rusher is coming from.
HEALTH WATCH:
Cowboys
Cowboys fans will probably have to wait until after the bye week for some good news on the injury front, although there are a few bright spots on the injury report for Sunday. Three players are listed as probable, none of whom played a full game last week - starting cornerback Anthony Henry (thigh), who left last week's game in the first quarter; backup outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, who returns after severely straining his hamstring against Arizona three weeks ago; and backup safety Pat Watkins (neck), who played only special teams last week. Probably the most high profile of the injuries is that of starting tight end Jason Witten (cracked rib), who is questionable to play after not practicing all week. Witten will likely be a game-time decision. While starting quarterback Tony Romo (broken finger), starting cornerback Terence Newman (abdomen), starting left guard Kyle Kosier (foot) and backup running back Felix Jones (hamstring) are again listed as out again, there is a good chance all could be back for the Nov. 16 Washington game following the bye.
Giants
The Giants injury report is a short one - only four players, either listed as out or probable. Out are starting outside linebacker Gerris Wilkinson (knee) and backup cornerback Kevin Dockery (back), neither of whom practiced all week. Probable are rookie backup linebacker Brian Kehl (toe) and starting defensive tackle Fred Robbins (hand).
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