The Cowboys are counting on a quarterback change to help their struggling offense. Still dealing with the loss of its top two offensive stars, Dallas is also hopeful some additional rest and a matchup against a divisional opponent it hasn’t lost to in three years gets them back in the NFC East picture. With Matt Cassel under center the Cowboys aim for a sixth straight win over the Giants.
ODDS
New York opened as a 6-point favorite and didn’t get much love. The spread was quickly wagered down to -3.5. The total opened at 45.5 and saw a slight drop to 45. While the offenses have not looked good, the over has paid out in each of the last six meetings.
KEY INJURIES
James Hanna – The Cowboys are relatively healthy coming off their bye with only the reserve tight end limited in practice this week with an ankle injury.
Prince Amukamara – Is expected to be out a few more weeks recovering from a torn pectoral muscle. The Giants’ cornerback missed last week’s game and was replaced by Jayron Hosley in the secondary.
KEY MISMATCH
In spite of the attempts of the coaching staff to inject life into the Cowboys offense, it is likely that the team will need to be carried by its defense through the next several weeks. In order for any defense to dominate, it needs outstanding play from its linemen. The Cowboys are no different. Boosted by the return of pass rusher Greg Hardy from a four-game suspension, the Cowboys collected a season-high five sacks against New England in its last game. Dallas is also expected to have its most athletic pass rusher, rookie Randy Gregory, back from a four-game absence due to a high ankle sprain. The Giants’ O-line is coming off an outing Monday in which Philadelphia recorded three sacks, five quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss. Tackles Ereck Flowers and Marshall Newhouse did a poor job with Philly’s edge rushers. If the Cowboys generate a pass rush, it could be a long afternoon for Eli Manning and the Giants offense.
KEY STAT
-5 – Dallas’ turnover margin to rank near the bottom. The Cowboys have an NFL-low three takeaways on the year, with all three coming in a Week 2 win over Philadelphia. The Giants have the second-best margin in the league at plus-five and force three Dallas turnovers in Week 1.
BETTING ANGLE
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett finally pulled the plug on Brandon Weeden after his failure to move the offense in a 30-6 home loss to New England two weeks ago. Dallas will go with veteran Matt Cassel, who was acquired from Buffalo two days after Tony Romo broke his collarbone on Sept. 20. Cassel will attempt to become the first Cowboys quarterback other than Romo to win a game since the finale of the 2010 season. Since Romo became the starter midway through the 2006 campaign, Dallas is 5-11 in games he’s missed and has lost the last five. Cassel and the Cowboys can build off their recent success against the Giants and the rest of the NFC East. Dallas has won five straight over New York, including this season’s opener, and is 4-1 against the Giants at MetLife Stadium under Garrett. The Cowboys have also won seven straight on the road against division opponents since the start of 2013.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Looking to spark an offense that did absolutely nothing behind Weeden, the Cowboys went desperate on us and named Cassel as the starter. He had a week to prepare for his new role and will be working against a Giants secondary down a starting corner with a couple of nickel cover backs banged up. Let’s hope for Cassel’s sake that Garrett unlocks the playbook and takes some shots downfield, something he was reluctant to do with Weeden. The Boys still have an awesome O-line and a little variation will certainly loosen up the Giants’ defenders. But Dallas is going to win this game with its defense. Hardy and Gregory are two relentless rushers and will disrupt Manning, forcing him into some costly turnovers. Cassel will shine in his debut joining Stephen McGee as the only quarterbacks not named Tony Romo to win a game for the Cowboys since 2010.
Dallas 26, New York 19
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday game at -6 in favor of the Giants. The NFL lines total surfaced at 45.5. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
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