Special Preview– Week 17
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Cowboys: I just knew they were finished after the unfortunate injury to Dak Prescott back in October. The offense at one point was struggling and the defense had been the Achilles heel for the entire team. With how poorly the NFC East has played this year, they looked down but were never out. In this final stretch, the Dallas Cowboys have played their best football of the season. First and foremost, I see an offense that’s taking care of the ball. No turnovers. The offensive line is playing better and Andy Dalton has looked comfortable most importantly. The defense has also been better slightly. Their week 16 win over the Eagles was their best performance of the year because they looked complete on both sides of the football. Things aren’t necessarily over now. They’ll need to win their final regular-season game and hopefully get some help later.
Giants: This organization is headed in the right direction. Overall, Joe Judge ended up being the right hire for this football team. The players have gone out and played hard for him. That’s all you can ask from your men. When the Giants were winning some games, they had a healthy quarterback for the most part. Since I’ve seen Daniel Jones come back, he hasn’t looked like himself. On Sunday in Baltimore, they couldn’t get much going. Containing the Ravens running game is one thing. They struggled in each phase of the football game. The offense was out of sync and the defense couldn’t make much happen either. Get the Giants some key pieces at important positions and they’ll be competing again. They close the season out tomorrow.
Cowboys X-Factor: Michael Gallup– He’s the Cowboys’ most important receiver. Michael can play inside and outside. Andy Dalton has developed a nice chemistry with him. He’s that chain mover that I always bring up for this offense. He knows his role and stays in his lane.
Giants X-Factor: Leonard Williams– What I enjoy is how he plays with that relentless motor. For example, a quarterback will scramble around and you’ll see Leonard follow him. He gets that push upfront and never let’s go. The Giants front four can pressure the quarterback without having to blitz.
Final Thoughts: Only the NFC East would come down to a situation like this. There is a strong possibility a team with ten losses can host a playoff game next weekend. The Cowboys can’t try to be cute. Continue to play how you’ve been and do what’s been winning you games. Also, can the Giants’ offense show up? Especially against an up and down Dallas defense? In their last three games, they’ve scored a total of 26 points combined. On the other hand, something must give.
Prediction: Cowboys 24 Giants 17
