Monday Night Football closes the NFL’s Week 3 with just a single game. It’s a big one, though, as two NFC East teams – the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants – battle for position.
Outside linebacker Micah Parsons stares down the New York Giants offense last season. Tonight’s Dallas Cowboys v New York Giants Monday Night Football game will rekindle the NFC East Rivalry. (Image: Getty Images)
The Cowboys hit the road against their first division rival. After the victory last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cowboys will look to maintain their streak.
It won’t be an easy task. The Cowboys had a decent preseason before starting the regular season with a pummeling at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They now face one of the only five remaining teams to have an undefeated record.
Tough Road For The Cowboys
Although we are still in the first leg of the season, every victory counts. This is especially true in a division where the Cowboys have to add six wins to secure first place in the NFC East.
The Giants have a perfect record to date, defeating the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers. However, neither game was a blowout – they beat the Titans by just one point and squeaked past the Panthers by three.
This is likely going to be a quarterback battle. Cooper Rush will enter again as a starter for the Cowboys, with Dak Prescott still on the sideline due to injury. The latest info from Dallas has Prescott returning on October 16.
Nonetheless, Rush finished 19-of-31 for 235 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals last week. As he finds his rhythm, he could improve tonight.
On the other side, Giants QB Daniel Jones finished 22 of 34 for 176 yards and a touchdown in the Carolina game. In general, he has been highly successful in the air and has a passer rating of 99.4. However, the great offensive strength of New York is undoubtedly the ground game.
Running back Saquon Barkley had a terrific run in Week 1 against the Titans, rushing 18 times for 164 yards. In addition, he added 72 extra yards on 21 more carries the following week. He will clearly be the target to stop on the part of the Cowboys defense.
Down To The Wire
There are injuries on both sides of the field that are going to be a problem. However, the Cowboys are going to have wide receiver Michael Gallup and cornerback Trevon Diggs. Both will be key for Dallas on both sides of the ball.
Dallas can hold their ground tonight. As long as Rush stays motivated and the defense remains as intimidating as it has been so far, they could make it. The oddsmakers, however, are leaning slightly in favor of the Giants.
The Giants are getting -115 to the Cowboys’ -105 on DraftKings and others, which means even oddsmakers aren’t sure who will win. The spread is just a point, with a relatively tame over/under of 39 or 39.5 at most books.
This is because, as much as Dallas wants the win, it’s at a slight disadvantage. The team is struggling on the line, and that’s going to be the difference. Rush may have the strength, but the Giants know how to exploit the line.
The under has hit in the last 15 of 18 games combined for these two. However, when facing each other, the over has been more successful – five of seven.
Those were from different times, though, with different teams. Today’s Giants are not the same as those from yesterday. This won’t be an easy game for either team, but the Giants prevail under 39 points.
Rihanna Makes the Super Bowl
Rihanna is going to headline the Super Bowl LVII show next February, according to the NFL. The singer and actor rejected a request to appear two years ago, but has reportedly had a change of heart.
Apple Music is taking over as the primary sponsor of the show, replacing Pepsi. It isn’t clear if the tech giant had its hand in getting Jay Z to convince the Fenty Beauty mogul to agree to appear. Other than Rihanna, no additional details about other possible performers have been released.
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