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Dallas (3-1) tries to make it four in a row Sunday when it hosts
the New York Giants in a division clash. It owns a one-game lead
on Washington and is two up on New York and Philadelphia.
It was the two games with the Giants last season that told the
tale of a disappointing 6-10 campaign for Dallas. It won the
first matchup at home but lost quarterback Dak Prescott for the
season with an ugly fractured ankle that day, making a
high-powered offense much more ordinary.
The second game went the Giants' way in Week 17, knocking the
Cowboys out for good and resulting in Washington winning the
division with a win at Philadelphia. It ignited questions as to
whether coach Mike McCarthy was truly the solution on the
sideline.
These days, McCarthy appears to have Dallas on the right track,
new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has improved a leaky unit
and Prescott hasn't missed a beat in his return. And with the
re-emergence of running back Ezekiel Elliott, who carved up
Carolina for 143 yards last week, the Cowboys don't appear to
have many holes.
Elliott's numbers were modest through three games. But owner
Jerry Jones was convinced that Elliott was ready to break out,
citing the offseason work he'd put in that dropped 10 pounds off
his frame.
"There's no question that what you put in in spring, what you
put in in training camp, that's what you get out during the
season," Jones said. "He put it in during the offseason and it's
paying dividends for him."
As for New York (1-3), it earned its first dividend of the
season last weekend in New Orleans, where Daniel Jones threw for
a career-high 402 yards and Saquon Barkley scored the winning
touchdown in a 27-21 overtime decision.
Jones has played much more efficiently so far. A turnover
machine at times in his first two years, Jones has tossed only
one interception in 144 passes and lost just one fumble after
coughing up 17 fumbles in his first 27 games.
"We haven't won enough games -- that's no secret -- the first
two years and obviously this season didn't start how we wanted
it to or expected it to," he said. "Those are storms we've all
had to weather and we've got to continue to progress, continue
to improve."
The Giants certainly look like a different team offensively from
the hit-or-miss unit of the last two years. Barkley collected
126 scrimmage yards in New Orleans, while free agent receiver
Kenny Golladay enjoyed his best game with the team, grabbing six
passes for 116 yards.
To make it two straight wins, New York might need more big plays
from a defense that ranks in the league's bottom half in sacks
(tied for 30th) and interceptions (tied for 18th).
--Field Level Media
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