The Cowboys will play their first divisional game in Week 3 against the New York Giants. Dallas’ first matchup against the Giants is on the road, while the second is at home on Thanksgiving.
Last season, the Cowboys swept the Giants for the fourth time in five seasons. Quarterback Dak Prescott has only lost to New York twice, with both losses coming in his 2016 rookie campaign. Dallas will play the Giants on Thanksgiving for the first time since 1992, a 30-3 win for the Cowboys.
Returning or New York at quarterback is fourth-year starter, Daniel Jones. The sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jones has failed to impress so far. Last season, he threw for 2,428 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, the former two being career-lows.
However, Jones completed a career-high 64.3 percent of his passes, adding two rushing touchdowns as well.
Running back Saquon Barkley played 13 games in 2021, rushing for 593 yards and two touchdowns. He rolled his ankle against the Cowboys in a Week 5 matchup last season and missed games due to COVID-19. At his best, Barkley is one of the most talented running backs in the league but has been set back by injuries.
The Giants return a wide receiver trio of Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney in 2022. Golladay failed to record a receiving touchdown last season and will have the highest cap hit of any receiver this season ($21.1M).
Toney played in 10 games last season, also failing to score a touchdown. Shepard was the only one of the three to score, recording one touchdown last season.
After losing Evan Engram to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, Ricky Seals-Jones is expected to be the Giants’ starting tight end. He spent last season with the Washington Football Team (now Commanders), catching 30 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
New York’s offensive line upgraded this offseason. The Giants drafted Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal seventh overall in the 2021 NFL Draft to pair with Andrew Thomas and signed Mark Glowinski from the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.
New York also signed center Jon Feliciano after the Buffalo Bills released him. Another rookie, third-round selection, Joshua Ezeudu, is expected to start at left guard.
The Giants’ defensive line is led by interior defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who recorded 6.5 sacks last season. New York will line up a young duo of Azeez Ojulari and rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux at edge rusher. Ojulari recorded eight sacks last season, while Thibodeaux was the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Oregon.
After spending most of last season with a torn ACL, linebacker Blake Martinez returns. He’ll line up alongside Tae Crowder, who recorded 130 tackles last season.
Safety Xavier McKinney is coming off a breakout year in 2021, recording 10 passes defended and five interceptions. Julian Love will be New York’s other starting safety, recording a career-high seven passes defended last season.
After releasing cornerback James Bradberry, Adoree’ Jackson will be the Giants’ No. 1 cornerback. He recorded 62 tackles, six passes defended and one interception last season. Rodarius Williams, Darnay Holmes and rookie Cordale Flott will battle for New York’s other starting cornerback spot.
Brian Daboll replaces Joe Judge as the Giants’ head coach. He was the Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018-21, winning Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020. As a New England Patriots assistant from 2000-06 and 2013-16, he won five Super Bowls and a national championship as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2017.
The Cowboys will play the Giants during Week 3 on Monday, Sept. 26 at 7:15 p.m. CT on Monday Night Football on ESPN. Their Thanksgiving matchup will take place at 3:30 p.m. CT that day on Fox.
