The New York Giants have shifted their focus to the Dallas Cowboys following their disheartening 21-6 loss against the Washington Commanders this past Sunday.
Although Dallas also lost their opening game 24-20 against the Eagles, they looked much better than the Giants did in the loss, and the Cowboys will look to translate that to their first victory when they host the Giants on Sunday in Arlington.
Here are three things the Giants need to do to leave AT&T Stadium with a victory and erase the sting of Week 1.
Executing In The Red Zone
The Giants were putrid in the red zone against Washington, failing to score a touchdown on two separate occasions where New York had a first-and-goal inside the 10-yard line.
On the first stint, Russell Wilson scrambled eight yards to the Washington 2 and recovered his own fumble before attempting a pass to Malik Nabers on fourth down.
Deatrich Wise Jr. was flagged for an illegal use of hands penalty, giving Big Blue a fresh set of downs from the Washington 1-yard line.
Despite the optimal situation, the Giants were unable to find the end zone, attempting a pass to offensive tackle Marcus Mbow on first down.
NFL: New York Giants at Washington Commanders, russell wilson
Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
On second down, Wilson handed off to physical running back Cam Skattebo, but the blocking was so poor that Skattebo lost a yard on the carry.
On third down, Wilson fired an incomplete pass over the middle, completely unaware that Darius Slayton was wide open on the left side of the field. Seeing enough, Brian Daboll and the coaching staff sent Graham Gano onto the field to put points on the board, which cut the lead to 7-3.
This would have been bad enough, but late in the fourth quarter, the Giants found themselves with first-and-goal from Washington’s 3-yard line while trailing 21-6. However, Russell Wilson threw four straight incompletions, showcasing the ineptitude of the Giants in the red zone and leaving New York empty-handed.
In a game where the Giants lost by 15 points, they left eleven of those points on the board and sank any chances of them getting back into the game.
Against the Cowboys, it will be even more paramount that the Giants convert in the red zone when they get chances. Dallas and Philadelphia went score for score in the first half before a lightning delay took momentum away from the offenses, causing the Eagles to hang on to their 24-20 lead and defeat the Cowboys on the night they lifted their Super Bowl banner into the rafters.
The Cowboys’ offense will likely be firing at home, and if the Giants cannot make the most of their own opportunities, it could signal a long afternoon for the second straight contest.
Getting The Run Game Going While Exploiting The Secondary
Although the entire Giants’ offense was disappointing, Malik Nabers still hauled in five passes for 71 yards, while Wan’Dale Robinson caught six passes for 55 yards. The run game, however, was almost completely shut down, which made the offense much easier to stop in obvious passing situations on third downs.
Russell Wilson was Big Blue’s leading rusher, with 44 yards on eight carries, while Tyrone Tracy Jr. had just 24 yards on 10 carries, an average of just 2.4 yards per carry. Devin Singletary had nine yards on three carries, while Cam Skattebo lost three yards on two carries, although he caught two passes for 12 yards and contributed on some key blocks.
The Giants are going to have to find a way to get their running backs more involved in this game. There was considerable offseason fanfare about the “thunder and lightning” duo of Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo, but the blocking up front will have to improve for that duo to start taking shape.
NFL: New York Giants at Washington Commanders
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Not to mention that having a solid run game will attract defenders into the box and will open up the passing game downfield, which could also be improved.
As it pertains to the passing game, the Giants will have one advantage going into Dallas. Cornerback Da’Ron Bland is sidelined for this week with a foot injury, which is expected to keep him out for weeks. Although injuries are never something to root for, this serves as a big break for New York, which will be looking for anything to get its offense going.
The Cowboys will likely have Trevon Diggs covering Nabers, and may send a double team like the Commanders often did. This will leave starting left cornerback Kaiir Elam to guard Darius Slayton, and the Cowboys’ backup cornerbacks to cover Wan’Dale Robinson and the other Giants’ receivers.
Even if Nabers is blanketed, Wilson should be able to get the ball out to his other receivers and move things downfield better than he was able to do against Washington.
Shutting Down the Cowboys’ Receivers While Limiting The Run Game
On the other side of the ball, the Giants’ secondary will be tasked with covering the Cowboys’ receiving duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Lamb caught seven passes for 110 yards, but dropped multiple passes on Dallas’ last drive in Philadelphia, which killed any chance for the Cowboys to score a game-winning touchdown against the Eagles.
Nov 12, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) makes a touchdown catch past New York Giants safety Bobby McCain (21) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Paulson Adebo and Cor’Dale Flott will look to make sure that Lamb does not flip the switch this week in Dallas.
Meanwhile, Pickens was limited to just three catches for 30 yards in his Cowboys debut after being traded from the Steelers in the offseason. Tight end Jake Ferguson, who has become a security blanket for Dak Prescott, caught five passes for 23 yards.
It was a quiet yet productive evening for Prescott as the Cowboys’ signal-caller went 21/34 for 188 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.
For as bad as the Giants’ offense looked last Sunday, the defense got the Commanders off the field on multiple occasions and held a potent offense to 21 points last week. Deebo Samuel had 77 yards on seven catches, while star receiver Terry McLaurin was limited to two catches for 27 yards.
The Commanders did most of their damage on the ground, with Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushing for 82 yards and a score, while Jayden Daniels had 68 yards on 11 carries. Samuel’s touchdown came on a 19-yard carry, while the only receiving touchdown of the contest went to Zach Ertz on a slant over the middle.
If the Giants can limit the damage caused by the Cowboys’ receiving corps, they will have a much easier time contending with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, who are solid yet non-impressive running backs in their own right.
Williams had two rushing touchdowns, but carried the football 15 times for 54 yards for a paltry 3.6 yards per carry.
Sanders had four rushes for 53 yards, which included a 49-yard burst, but also had a costly fumble in the Thursday night opener.
After all the offseason hype came crashing down in just one game, it will be up to the Giants what they want to make of the 2025 season.
With the Chiefs and Chargers looming when New York returns to MetLife Stadium, defeating the Cowboys for the first time since 2021 would go a long way in turning around the season.