The New York Giants (0-1) and Dallas Cowboys (0-1) will look to get their first win of the 2025 season as they battle it out at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
The historic rivals are both coming off disappointing road division losses last week and desperately want to avoid languishing alone at the bottom of the NFC East.
Dallas has dominated this rivalry over the last decade. In fact, domination undersells the points, as they’ve swept the season series in seven of the last eight seasons. The woeful Giants haven’t won in Dallas since 2016.
Needless to say, the Cowboys are once again expected to be victorious in Big D. However, with the changes to the roster, these teams are evenly matched, and the game will be decided by which stars shine the brightest.
Here are two key players from each team to watch for on Sunday.
For the Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb
NFL: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Despite his seven receptions for 110 yards in the opening game of the season against the Eagles, Lamb’s performance was a disappointment as he had several key drops in the 24-20 loss to the Eagles. If Lamb had been able to convert those drops into catches, the Cowboys would have experienced the thrill of victory as opposed to the agony of defeat.
It will be a seminal battle of the game as the 26-year-old wideout loves to come through in the clutch, but he’ll be the primary focus of the Giants’ secondary that badly needs to shut him down. The key here is when Paulson Adebo matches up against Lamb.
How the star wideout performs will go a long way in determining the outcome.
Javonte Williams
NFL: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
One of the under-the-radar signings this offseason that is paying dividends was Javonte Williams signing a one-year deal with Dallas. In his first game with his new team, the 25-year-old running back carried the ball 15 times for 54 yards and scored both of the team’s touchdowns.
He’ll likely get a bigger workload this week, considering Miles Sanders had a critical fumble last week, and go up against a defense that surrendered 220 yards on the ground to the Washington Commanders in Week 1. Williams could be poised to have his first 100-yard rushing game of the season based on what we saw last week.
For the Giants
Russell Wilson
NFL: New York Giants at Washington Commanders
Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
In his debut with Big Blue last week, Russell Wilson completed 17 out of 37 passes for 168 yards in the 21-6 loss to the Commanders. He was the team’s leader in rushing with 44 yards on eight attempts, but most of those rushes were out of desperation to avoid the onslaught of the Commanders’ pass rush that harassed him all afternoon.
With the possibility of coaches pulling him in favor of Jaxson Dart, Wilson will need to have a bounce-back performance in order to remain the team’s starter. Fortunately for him, Big D’s pass rush is not as formidable since they traded away Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, and the Cowboys’ secondary will be down a man as cornerback DaRon Bland has been ruled out with a foot injury.
Wilson should have ample time to connect with Malik Nabers and the rest of New York’s pass catchers. If he has another subpar performance, head coach Brian Daboll will have a serious decision to make on which quarterback will start in Week 3.
Abdul Carter
NFL: New York Giants at Washington Commanders
Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images
One of the reasons some people thought the Giants could make a push for the playoffs this season was because of the addition of the third overall pick, Abdul Carter. Many believe he is the next coming of Micah Parsons and would make an immediate impact.
But surprisingly, he played just 38 snaps in Week 1. To his credit, he did register three tackles, half a sack, and a blocked punt, but it was a mystery why he was not on the field more. The Cowboys’ offensive line is still a solid unit, having not allowed a sack last week, and if the Giants have any chance to pull an upset, they need Carter on the field more with Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns.
The rookie edge rusher has the potential and talent to make a game-changing play at any time, and it’s up to head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to make sure he gets more playing time.