Before the Cowboys and Giants kicked off on Sunday night one thing was certain. Barring a tie, the winner would be in three-way tie for first.
The loser would be all alone in the cellar of the NFC East. New York’s G-Men didn’t so much tumble to the bottom as they were hurled down there by the Cowboys.
The 40-0 victory by Dallas was the second-largest margin of victory in the 123-game series between the two teams.
Only the Cowboys’ 52-7 win over the Giants in New York back in 1966 was by greater margin. It was also the third time Dallas has shut out New York.
For the first seven-and-a-half minutes it looked like the Giants were in for a good game.
Then a bad snap and a blocked field goal returned for a Cowboys’ touchdown changed everything.
For Dallas, the next 52:30 couldn’t have gone any better for them than if the NFL actually did script the season for all 32 teams.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys return to Texas for their next game – a home opener against the Jets (1-0) coming off a thrilling win in overtime – looking to avoid a letdown.
Dallas snapped a three-game losing streak in season openers on Sunday.
They face another three-game losing streak – this one against the other New York team. Dallas has lost to the Jets 24-22 (2019), 19-16 (2015), and 27-24 (2011).
The 2015 loss came at home. The other two were in New York.
The Cowboys last win over the Jets was 16 years ago, a 34-3 win at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.
Dallas had won the first four meetings between 1971 and 1987. But the series now sits at a 7-5 advantage for Dallas.
The Jets may not have future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center this Sunday.
Rodgers is feared to have suffered an Achilles injury. An MRI has been scheduled for today.
Based on early reports, it seems unlikely he will play. The last time the Cowboys beat a Rodgers-led team was all the way back in 2016.
Rodgers has won his last four starts against the Cowboys by a margin of 20 points. Zach Wilson will start if Rodgers is sidelined for the game.
UPDATE (10:17 a.m.) ESPN.com is reporting that Rodgers has in fact torn his Achilles tendon and is out for the rest of the season.
New York Giants
The Giants will try to rebound from an epic beat down next week. The bad news is that a season-opener like the one they had could lead to a season-long death spiral.
The good news for New York is that they draw the Arizona Cardinals (0-1).
Given Arizona’s curious pre-season roster moves, one wonders if they aren’t playing for the first pick in the 2024 Draft this year.
Its hard to say that a game in the second week of a 17-game season is a must win. But for the Giants it kind of is.
Washington Commanders
Commanders fans were all agog Sunday afternoon. Their first game under new ownership was at home.
It was also a win – a rare sighting in D.C. – and the crowd in the stadium was enjoying every second of it.
In the afterglow of the victory Commanders faithful were talking division title, playoffs and a Super Bowl.
Calm down kids, you beat the Cardinals. And you needed to come from behind in the fourth quarter to do it.
Arizona’s offense generated just 210 total yards. They didn’t even score a touchdown on offense in the 20-16 loss.
Washington’s offense didn’t exactly put the fear of god into anyone either. Quarterback Sam Howell threw a touchdown and scored the game winner on a run.
But he also threw an interception and his fumble was returned for an Arizona touchdown. Howell had 202 yards passing and was sacked six times.
The Commanders travel to Denver to face the Broncos (0-1) on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles in 2022 won a lot of games where they jumped out to an early lead and then held on for dear life. They did the same thing on Sunday in a 25-20 win over the Patriots.
Jalen Hurts did his level best to fumble away another victory – just as he did in the Super Bowl seven months ago.
The only thing that saved the Eagles is that the Patriots are just that bad. New England had two golden chances to drive for the game-winning score and couldn’t get the job done.
Sooner or later, Philadelphia’s luck is going to run out. The Eagles draw the Vikings (0-1) at home on a short week as the two teams play on Thursday night.