One week removed from beating the Washington Football team, thanks in large part to a defensive line that played with its best numbers all season, the Cowboys will take the field today without two defensive tackles. Trysten Hill and Osa Odighizuwa were placed on the COVID-19 list Saturday, ruling them out for week 15 at the Giants.
A rookie third round pick, Odighizuwa split time with Neville Gallimore who made his season debut last week. The Cowboys will get a better look at Gallimore today, and called up Justin Hamilton from the practice squad to add depth on the interior.
Hamilton has played just over a third of the snaps in Dan Quinn’s defense since the loss of Brent Urban at the run-stopping position. Both Odighizuwa and Hill played the run well enough to share the field with Gallimore, but now it will be up to Gallimore and Hamilton to hold up against Saquon Barkley. In the first meeting of these teams, Barkley was injured after just two carries. The Giants also lost Daniel Jones later in the game, turning to Mike Glennon at QB.
The Cowboys scored 44 points in the blowout win at home, which has many marking this game as the best chance for Dak Prescott and the offense to find its way again. Though not at full strength, the Cowboys defense has an advantage against the Giants offensive line that could flip this game into another takeover for Quinn’s unit.
Starting this afternoon, the Cowboys will test their readiness for playoff football with NFC East rematches in all but one remaining game. How they handle these matchups as favorites will determine not only their seeding, but potentially how healthy their roster can be with the benefit of time off for injured starters.
Osa Odighizuwa and Trysten Hill should both continue to be a big part of the defensive line rotation when they return to practice and the playing field.
