The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys meet on Thanksgiving Day at 4:30 p.m. ET. It's a road game, it's a division game and it's a battle for the bottom of the NFC East.
Even though both of these teams have had a terrible season so far, this could prove to be an exciting game, although it certainly has no real value for either team. The Giants are in free fall, releasing Daniel Jones and moving Tommy DeVito into the starting role, leaving Drew Lock as the backup. The Cowboys struggled with Dak Prescott on the field, and things were ugly without him despite their win last week.
Both Brian Daboll and Mike McCarthy are training for their jobs, and while both are currently safe according to their respective owners, the ground is unsafe.
There are six keys to the Giants getting a win over the Cowboys this week, which would secure Daboll's job. Currently. Perhaps.
Don't play softly
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
After last week's terrible performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, players criticized the team for sloppy play. The tune was changed to suggest that the team had poor technique rather than a lack of effort, but it doesn't matter what the cause was. Don't play softly. Approach every play as if it were your last and give 100% of your effort on every play, every down, every drive, both on offense and defense.
If you truly believe that it's technique rather than effort that matters, you'd better work on your technique in practice this week.
Regardless of what the players and Daboll say to the media; You can see that her true performance on the field is not what it should be. The Giants can't play softly against a division rival and expect to win, even if it's the Cowboys.
Get Malik Nabers involved early
Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Malik Nabers is undoubtedly the best offensive weapon the Giants have on their roster. There is literally no reason to wait to include him. Use him early and often, it's counterproductive to design the offense differently. Let Tyrone Tracy Jr. dictate the ground game, but Nabers should set the tone for the entire offense as the top player on the field.
Attack someone
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Last week against the Bucs, the Giants missed an astounding 11 tackles. There is video evidence of several defensive players milling around near the ball carrier and making no real effort to attack the opposing player. There is also plenty of evidence that they tried to tackle it eleven times and failed. There's no way you can win games when you miss tackles so regularly, and that's absolutely why the Bucs put up 30 points last week. If you miss a tackle on a guy like CeeDee Lamb, it's going to be a touchdown. The Giants definitely can’t afford that this week.
Let Cooper Rush beat you
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Cooper Rush is not Dak Prescott. Prescott is actually a good quarterback who just plays for a bad team. Rush may not be terrible – he led them to a win over the Washington Commanders last week – but he's also not on the same level as Dak. If the Giants can force Rush to beat them, if they can get him off the field, Dallas won't be able to eat up the clock. Pressure him, fire him, force him to make mistakes. This is how the Giants get the Cowboys offense off the field.
Get the ball out quickly
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
It doesn't matter if Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock is under center this week, and we still don't know who it will be, but whoever it is needs to get the ball out quickly. There are several injuries along the offensive line and the Giants will most likely have backup players at both tackle positions. In response, the Cowboys' defensive front will come out hot. They will try to burn through those reserves and attack the quarterback. So whoever it is has to be ready to get rid of the ball, even if it means throwing it away.
Stick CeeDee Lamb like glue
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants need a member of the secondary tied to Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He is their most dangerous offensive weapon and can do more damage than any other player. It doesn't have to be the same player every game, Deonte Banks, Jason Pinnock, Andru Phillips and Tyler Nubin are all solid options to cover Lamb. Taking Lamb away as an option to Cooper Rush will go a long way in getting the Cowboys offense off the field and managing time of possession.
