Week 3 of the NFL season concludes on Monday night with the New York Giants (2-0, 1-0 home) taking on the Dallas Cowboys (1-1, 0-0 away). The NFC East rivalry has been dominated by the Cowboys over the past five seasons, with Dallas winning nine of the last ten matchups.
The kickoff of the primetime showdown is at 8:15 p.m. EST inside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. New York is a one-point favorite, and the over/under total is 39.0 points.
What to Know – Dallas Cowboys
Dallas comes to the Northeast without quarterback Dak Prescott, but that didn’t matter last week in a thrilling 20-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The victory was a nice bounce back for the Cowboys, who mustered up just three points in a 19-3 season-opening loss to Tampa Bay.
With Prescott on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the quarterbacking duties were handed over to Cooper Rush. The fifth-year player out of Central Michigan completed 19-of-31 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Rush played in five games last season when Prescott was injured, throwing for 422 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
The Cowboys continue to rely on the rushing duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Elliot leads the team with 25 rushes for 105 yards, while Pollard has carried the ball 15 times for 51 yards and has the team’s only rushing score.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has dominated the target share out wide but only has nine receptions on 22 targets. Counterpart Noah Brown paces the Cowboys in receptions (10), receiving yards (159), and is the only Dallas pass-catcher to find the endzone. Lamb is right behind Brown with nine catches for 104 yards.
What to Know – New York Giants
The Giants won just four games last season and are already halfway to that total through the first two weeks of this season. New York has narrow victories over the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans to start the year.
New York continues to roll under center with four-year player Daniel Jones. Jones has tossed for 364 yards through the air and added 46 on the ground so far this season. The 25-year-old has thrown three touchdown passes while turning the ball over once.
Running back Saquon Barkley is back healthy with an improved offensive line. The former Penn State star is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, rushing 39 times for 236 yards with one touchdown, and is third on the team in receiving targets with 11.
On the outside, the top two targets for Jones in the passing game have been wide receivers Richie James and Sterling Shepard. James leads the way with ten catches for 110 yards while Shepard has eight receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.
The Pick is In
The injuries the Cowboys are facing offensively give the Giants a huge boost as Dallas heads on the road for the first time this season. New York gets it done at home to begin the season 3-0.
The Pick: New York Giants -1
