As rivalries in the NFC East go, the New York Giants haven’t been one to the Dallas Cowboys in quite some time.
In fact, over the last six seasons, it’s been more a laughing stock.
Since 2016, the Cowboys have beaten Big Blue 11 out of 12 times with the lone victory coming in the last game of the season against a Dallas organization without Dak Prescott. Since his rookie season, Prescott hasn’t lost to the Giants – an ugly mark on an organization still trying to turn the page away from a dace of futility.
2023 offers the chance for the streak to end though. And it must if New York wants to be considered a true contender for the NFC crown.
“All of these divisional games are big, for sure. It means a lot, so it’s a big opportunity for us and we’ll be ready to go. It’s a big game because it’s the first game, it’s a big game because it’s a divisional game and it’s the next game,” Giants quarterback Daniel Jones said Tuesday.
Winning divisional games is certainly the first step to reaching that goal. The Giants were 1-4-1 against the NFC East last year with several blowout losses coming from the Eagles and Cowboys. Philadelphia won’t be on the schedule until later in the year but Sunday Night will be the first chance for the G-Men to change the status quo.
“They’re a team that—they have a lot of talent, and they just keep getting more talent. So, they just bring that dog attitude to them. I think they have a good mindset over there,” Dexter Larence said. “I think it showcases through the front on the O-Line and D-Line every year. I’m just ready for the matchup.”
The first step for New York to gain an edge over the Cowboys will be finding a way to finally find a solution to Prescott. The Cowboys’ quarterback has had his problems in the playoffs, but he’s 27-7 against the NFC East in his career. A big part of that has been the kind of protection the offensive line has been able to offer him.
“They were playing on early downs, there wasn’t a ton of third downs, particularly in the second half, they ran the ball well. They did a good job protecting, they’ve got a good offensive line, they played good football on offense in terms of taking care of the quarterback…” head coach Brian Daboll said reminiscing about last year’s matchup.
Pressure will be key to disrupting Dallas’ offense, but Prescott is still a quarterback that the Giants are not looking to be surprised by Sunday night.
“Dak is a productive quarterback, he’s got a very good skillset, he’s won a lot of games, he’s been very productive, scored a lot of points. They’ve got a good football team, so we are going to need a really good week here of preparation,” Daboll explained.
For New York to be considered a viable candidate to win the NFC East in Daboll’s second season at the helm, they’ll need to show they can beat the top dogs above them.
They’ll get their first crack at that Sunday Night.
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