IRVING, Texas –The Cowboys have had their much-needed bye and now head to the Meadowlands for a much-needed win over the Giants, who have won four straight games. The Cowboys need this victory to keep pace with the 6-5 Eagles, who are on their bye week.
Here are the gut feelings for staff writers Nick Eatman, David Helman and Rowan Kavner.
David Helman:The Giants are on a roll, and they're talking like they know it. That's been a little worrisome to me all week, and this morning I thought for sure I'd be picking a Giants win this weekend. But then I thought back to what we know about New York's opposition during the win streak: it hasn't been good. I also thought about what the coaching staff has been saying this week, about new arrangements and aggressive play calls. Tony Romo isn't going to throw for 500 yards, but he's going to make some big plays. Dez Bryant is going to have his longest touchdown of the season. DeMarco Murray is going to run for about 85 yards. And the Cowboys are going to win, something like 34-20. [embedded_ad]
Rowan Kavner:The weather will turn this much-anticipated matchup into a sloppy mess of a game. That means not many points, and it also puts a lot of pressure on the defense to hold. That could be troubling for the Cowboys, who took advantage of a bevy of Giants turnovers to take the first matchup between the teams but have recently hit a skid. Both sides will turn the ball over this week. The additions of Miles Austin and Jason Hatcher will be huge and I think George Selvie bothers Eli Manning, but I just can't trust the defense for a full 60 minutes yet without Sean Lee. I see it going to overtime where the wind will play in the Giants' favor late on a field goal as the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles all remain alive in the hunt.
Nick Eatman:I really think this is the most important game the Cowboys have played in a while. If they lose, sure they still have a chance to win the division and get into the playoffs. But winning this one is huge in terms of getting to 4-0 in the NFC East and basically owning all tiebreakers, not to mention burying the Giants. Confidence-wise, it would be huge heading into a winnable Thanksgiving Day game. I think the Cowboys play well, and crisper on offense. I see Miles Austin making a difference and Jason Witten having a big day. The Cowboys will play better on defense and I think Jeff Heath responds nicely from his rough night in New Orleans. Overall, the Cowboys grab a good lead and then hang on for the win.
