In 2016, the only team to beat Dak Prescott in a game where he played the full complement of starters snaps were the New York Giants. En route to the Cowboys 13-3 record, their two matchups with their divisional rival were the only true blemish on a stellar rookie campaign for the Cowboys now franchise quarterback.
Since then, however, Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys have been absolutely dominant against Big Blue, winning six in a row and putting up some staggering numbers in the process.
In Prescott's first two games against New York, he completed less than 55% of his passes, and the Cowboys offense struggled to put up any points. They averaged just 13 points per game against the Giants in 2016. Over the last six games, Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys offense have completely flipped the script.
The Cowboys have gone 6-0 in their last six matchups and have averaged 29.5 points per game over the last three seasons against New York. In their last three meetings, the Cowboys offense has averaged 36 points per game. Dallas has an average margin of victory of 13.5 points per game in the six wins.
Prescott, after struggling in his first two meetings in the divisional rivalry, has responded quite well. He's had a passer rating of 117.3 in the last six contests and has thrown for 301 yards per game, 2.67 touchdowns per game, and 0.5 interceptions per game.
Though Blake Jarwin won't be available to continue his dominance, Dalton Schultz has emerged in his stead and will have an opportunity to shine where Jarwin has in the Cowboys' matchup with the Giants.
Blake Jarwin had scored in three straight games against New York, including a three-touchdown performance at the end of the 2018 season. Though most of his totals against the Giants came in that week 17 contest at the end of 2018, he's averaged a staggering 18 yards per reception against New York, with a lot of that yardage coming after the catch.
In four games and just three as the starter, Dalton Schultz has emerged as an excellent weapon in the passing game. He's on pace for 72 receptions for 876 yards and two touchdowns in 2020. Dak Prescott has looked to Schultz often in his three-game stint as the starter. Schultz is currently on pace for 112 targets this season. Against a Giants defense that is undertalented and banged up, Schultz should be able to continue the tradition of Cowboys tight ends having big games against the Giants.
Ezekiel Elliott and the running game have been okay in his six contests against New York. Elliott's averaging just 88 yards per game against the Giants and has gone over 100 yards just three times. Elliott does have six total touchdowns against the Giants, three rushing and three receiving. The Cowboys will likely need him to be a dual-threat today in the game with injuries keeping both projected starting tackles out for the season.
The Cowboys will certainly be challenged by their division rivals in this one. The Giants are currently 12th in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed through the first four weeks of 2020. While they've been better, they haven't necessarily played the NFL's offensive juggernauts. The Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams each only scored 17 points while they allowed an average of 31 points per game to the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
If the Dallas Cowboys can control the Giants impressive interior defensive line, they should be able to control the game offensively. A tough task with Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, and Dalvin Tomlinson coming to town.
Despite the injuries to the offensive line, the Dallas Cowboys have the firepower to walk into AT&T Stadium on Sunday and get a much-needed victory over the New York Giants. Dak Prescott has been on a roll in 2020 and against the Giants over the last six meetings. He's shown that he can overcome underwhelming play along the offensive line. If he can hold onto the football and not allow the Daniel Jones' led Giants to play with short fields, the Cowboys should be able to put together another 30 point game today.
Predictions
Unlike the first four games of the season, the Dallas Cowboys get a bit of a reprieve in the opposition's wide receiver group they'll be facing. After dealing with the likes of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp in Los Angeles, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley with Atlanta, Tyler Lockett, and D.K. Metcalf in Seattle, and Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry in Cleveland, facing Darius Slayton and Golden Tate doesn't loom quite as large.
The Cowboys defense will be more effective in this game, which won't force the Cowboys to feel like they have to score every time they touch the football. Dak Prescott continues his recent dominance as the Giants don't have the defensive talent to deal with Dallas' three-headed monster at wide receiver, and the Dallas Cowboys take the victory 35-24.
Shane Carter
InsideTheStar.com Contributor
The Cowboys should win this game, right? The same thing was said last week against the Browns and they got run over like roadkill, giving up over 300 yards rushing to Cleveland.
This week they face a Giants team who doesn't yet have a rusher with more than 20 carries on the year and whose QB is the team's leading rusher! The Giants offense is not the threat, it's their defense which ranks among the best in the league (5th in total defense).
If the team wants to avoid another embarrassing loss, they'll need to take advantage of New York's lack of offense, lead by a familiar face, former Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett, and get the running game involved early, rather than allow New York to get out to a lead and force ANOTHER comeback. These games are usually closer than people think and I think it continues. Dallas gets the win.
Cowboys 29 Giants 23
