Three Keys to Defeating New York Week One
The Dallas Cowboys play the New York Giants in their preliminary game of the year.
Week one is upon us, and we have already seen a fantastic Detroit upset in the matchup with Kansas City. The Cowboys will battle the Giants in MetLife stadium week one. While history seems to favor the Cowboys in this matchup, planning for the future is still very important. Here are three keys to help secure a win so that the Cowboys can start 1-0.
Offensive Line Health and Readiness
Oh boy. The clock is really ticking on this one.
Tyler Smith and Tyron Smith have both been dealing with some injuries recently. Tyler Smith’s hamstring appeared to be giving him some trouble, and Tyron Smith’s ankle seems to be the problem. Both players are absolutely pivotal to the offensive line, and losing either of them could spell trouble.
Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence are scary men, and Dak needs his safety netting.
The two Smiths must remain healthy to help secure a win. The cowboys have a chance to be without Tyron Smith for the season opener, but the rest of the line should hold their own. Without either one of them, Dallas is going to have a treacherous fight. It’s possible that players like Chuma Edoga and Asim Richards could see snaps in this game if the Smith’s don’t get healthy fast.
The Cowboys must ready all of the offensive line in order to get past the Giants.
Do NOT Let Daniel Jones Run
The New York Giants have finally found the man who can heal their Quarterback woes. Brian Daboll shaped Daniel Jones into a top pocket passer in 2023. His abilities earned him a new 4 year, $160 Million deal to lock him in the Big Apple for years to come.
However, we can’t ignore his running ability.
Jones’ running ability bailed the Giants out of countless third and hopeless scenarios in 2022. Jones isn’t exactly a dual threat QB like Lamar Jackson or Deshaun Watson. But his legs can extend the play and scary things happen when he is outside the pocket.
Micah Parsons and Dante Fowler will be the ones in charge of plugging up any QB run lanes. Don’t look for very flashy multiple-sacks-per-game performances from either of those names. It’s possible, yes. But it’s more likely that Parsons will drop back in coverage to slow down New York’s new look offense. Look for DeMarcus Lawrence to have at least one sack.
The Cowboys will struggle to topple the Giants if they can’t stop Daniel Jones running.
Stonewall Saquon at Every Turn
What about Jalin Hyatt, though? What about all the other Giant receivers?
There won’t be any more thanksgiving massacres thanks to the team’s defenders. The Cowboys CB room took a massive leap with the departure of Anthony Brown and the arrival of Stephon Gilmore. Trevon Diggs will likely cover bigger targets Isaiah Hodgins and Darius Slayton, leaving Gilmore to take care of Jalin Hyatt and Darren Waller.
Saquon Barkley is the biggest offensive X factor on the New York Giants. Games have been won and lost as a result of Barkley.
Stonewalling Barkley up the middle and not letting him bounce to the outside is very important. Watch for Dallas’ space eaters, mainly Osa Odighizuwa and Mazi Smith to put the brakes on the Barkley train. Safeties Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse will likely get action tackling the former Penn State superstar.
Staying healthy at O-Line, stopping Daniel Jones from scrambling, and containing Saquon Barkley isn’t exactly a short order. However, the Cowboys can defeat the Giants if at least 2 of these boxes are checked.
Main Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
