The most unlikely 2-0 team in the league is the New York Giants. They squeaked past the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers by a combined four points to start the season undefeated, and Brian Daboll has this team buying into his message. They are only a short home favorite against the Dallas Cowboys this week, but a win over Dallas would put them in great position to make the postseason for the first time in six years.
The unbeaten New York Giants will look to move to 3-0 when they face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football to close out the NFL action this week. These NFC East rivals will meet on Monday, September 26, 2022, at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
NFL Monday Night Football Betting Odds
Dallas Cowboys +2.5
New York Giants -2.5
Total 38.5
Odds Analysis
Originally, the New York Giants opened this game as a field goal favorite. However, Cooper Rush’s surprisingly decent play in place of Dak Prescott has led to bettors hopping on the Dallas Cowboys as a short underdog on Monday Night Football. This game could close with Dallas as a short favorite now. Meanwhile, the total has remained unchanged from where it opened.
Dallas Cowboys
Cooper Rush is going to be Dallas’ starting quarterback for at least one more game as Dak Prescott looks to hurry back from a thumb injury. Rush will probably end up being the Cowboys’ quarterback for at least a couple more weeks, and he was solid in leading the team to its first win of the season last week against Cincinnati. The backup has completed 26 of 44 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown so far this season.
Ezekiel Elliott is still the starting running back, but Tony Pollard has outperformed him in a lot of areas. Elliott is averaging 4.2 YPC this season, while Pollard has been a much better receiver out of the backfield with 11.5 YPR. The Dallas offensive line isn’t as strong as it was though as Tyron Smith is out until December.
Dalton Schultz and Michael Gallup are both questionable to play this week, so Rush will target CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown even more than he has been to date. Brown is the leading receiver with 10 receptions for 159 yards and a score, while Lamb has nine catches for 104 yards.
This defense has been very good in 2022 thanks to the play of reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons. The second-year linebacker out of Penn State has four sacks, and he has been able to consistently get in the faces of opposing quarterbacks.
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley is the only player worth highlighting on the Giants. The fifth-year running back has struggled the last two seasons, but he is one of the top backs in the NFL through the first two weeks of this year. Barkley has run for 236 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.1 YPC, and he is the third leading receiver on the G Men.
Daniel Jones has proven that he is not the quarterback of the future, but he hasn’t been terrible this season. Jones is completing 70.9% of his passes for 364 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, and he has decent mobility for a quarterback his size. Surprisingly, Richie James has been his top receiver with 10 catches for 110 yards, as Kenny Golladay has only been targeted twice despite being seen as the No. 1 option in this system.
Big Blue is ranked ninth in scoring defense and 12th in total defense. The strength of the Giants’ defense is the front four, but they might be missing Azzez Ojulari, Leonard Williams, and Kayvon Thibodeaux because of injury this week. That would hurt their playmaking up front, potentially allowing Elliott and Pollard to get loose.
Cowboys at Giants Free Pick
The Giants are a smoke and mirrors team, so the Cowboys should be able to take them down even without Dak Prescott. Rush played well against the Bengals, and he can put together another nice game in a win over the Giants.
