The Dallas Cowboys are back! After a long bye week, they'll take on the New York Giants in the biggest stage of the week: Monday Night Football. Dallas is a seven-point favorite headed into this game and for good reason. The 2-6 Giants are a rebuilding team with a lot to work on. But the last time the Cowboys went into MetLife Stadium against a rebuilding team, things didn't go as planned.
It's a humbling league and the Cowboys can't take this game for granted. Let's get to this week's Cowboys Wishlist!
Play Michael Bennett at Defensive Tackle
One of this game's biggest stories is Michael Bennett's debut in Dallas. The new Cowboys' defensive lineman can play at defensive end as well as in the interior, but we don't know what DC Rod Marinelli will actually do with his newest asset.
With Robert Quinn playing surprisingly well this season at DE, I wish we get to see the former New England Patriot play at defensive tackle instead. This team desperately needs help upfront. It's one of the biggest needs for this defense and quality play from Bennett would be very helpful for the team's run D.
I expect a big outing from him tonight regardless of where he plays, but I strongly wish he wrecks havoc from the interior.
CB Jourdan Lewis Dominates
It's hard to understand why it took so long, but the Cowboys will finally give Jourdan Lewis the playing time he so much deserves. The young cornerback has been almost inexplicably sidelined since 2018 despite having shown a lot of promise on his rookie season.
Anthony Brown's injury paved the way for Lewis to prove himself. In the last couple of games, his performance has been stronger than Brown's and that's earned him the right to compete for the starting job. Although we haven't seen much from him, I truly believe Lewis should be a starting CB for this defense.
I wish he proves that tonight by dominating an under-performing Giants' defense.
Cowboys Score 30+
The Cowboys offense is close to being great. Slow starts have been an issue and play-calling was far from pretty when the they visited the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. Yet, they're the most efficient offense in the NFL through eight weeks according to the DVOA metric. Dak Prescott is among the best quarterbacks in EPA per play, yards per attempt and completion percentage over expectation.
The Cowboys are talented in every position and will likely be better at avoiding mistakes in the second half of the season. If this football team wants to make a run, it looks like it'll have to rely on its offense. I wish they have another 30+ points performance against a Giants defense that has almost no talent on defense.
Defense Forces Multiple Turnovers
Giants QB Daniel Jones has struggled. He's thrown seven interceptions and has fumbled the ball seven times as the Giants offense has turned the ball over 19 times this season. Jones will likely grow into a capable QB down the road, but right now he hasn't lived up to the expectations he set for himself after a promising start in Tampa Bay.
The Cowboys defense is not great at taking the ball away, but they're coming off a game in which they forced four turnovers versus the Philadelphia Eagles. I hope they build on that tonight in New York.
