N.y. Giants Giants vs Dallas Cowboys Picks and Predictions September 26th 2024

The Giants, who need to add a record, are the underdog at +190 as they host the Cowboys at 8:15 ET on Thursday, September 26th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The Cowboys are favored on the road with a money line of -231 and a point spread of -5.5. The game is being televised by AMZN, and the over/under line is set at 45 points.

Dallas vs. New York Key Information

The Cowboys are now 1-2 after their 28-25 loss to the Ravens. Dallas fell behind early, with Baltimore leading 14-3 after the 1st quarter. The Cowboys managed only a field goal in the 2nd quarter and trailed 21-6 at halftime. Despite a strong 4th quarter, scoring 19 points, they couldn’t complete the comeback.

Derrick Henry had a big game for the Ravens, scoring twice in the 1st quarter. Dallas made the score more respectable in the 4th quarter, with Dak Prescott throwing three touchdown passes, including one each to KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Tolbert, and Hunter Luepke.

The Cowboys’ offense managed 26 first downs and 361 yards passing in their 28-25 loss to the Ravens. Dallas struggled to run the ball, finishing with just 51 yards on 16 attempts. Dak Prescott threw the ball 51 times, completing 28 passes for 379 yards, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of 91.

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On the ground, Rico Dowdle was the leading rusher with 32 yards, while Jake Ferguson led the team with 95 receiving yards on six catches. The Cowboys’ offense converted on 53.8% of their third down attempts and allowed three sacks in the game.

In their 28-25 loss to the Ravens, the Cowboys’ defense gave up 274 rushing yards on 45 attempts, including allowing 6.1 yards per attempt in the running game. Despite not allowing any passing yards (0), they did give up one passing touchdown. The Ravens finished with 456 total yards and Dallas struggled on third downs, allowing a 44.4% conversion rate.Dallas’ defense didn’t record a sack in the game and lost the quarterback hit differential by -6 and the tackles for loss battle by -2.

The Giants were able to pull off the 21-15 upset over the Browns, despite being 6.5-point underdogs. The game was low-scoring, with a total of 36 points compared to the over/under line of 38 points. New York’s record is now 1-2 after this win.

After the Giants initially tied the game in the 1st quarter, Devin Singletary’s 1-yard touchdown run evened the score at 7. New York then took control in the 2nd quarter, with Malik Nabers catching two touchdown passes from Daniel Jones to give the Giants a 21-7 lead heading into halftime. The Giants didn’t score in the 2nd half until the Browns made a comeback in the 4th quarter, tying the game at 21 before taking the lead for good with a touchdown with just 2:23 left in the 4th.

The Giants’ offense had 21 first downs and 228 yards through the air in their 21-15 win over the Browns. Daniel Jones completed 24 of 34 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a passer rating of 109. New York’s running game had 112 yards on 32 attempts. Jones was sacked twice and the team struggled on third down, converting just 28.6% of their chances.

Malik Nabers led the team with eight catches for 78 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Devin Singletary was the top rusher with 65 yards on 16 attempts, including a long run of 43 yards and one touchdown.

In their most recent game, the Giants’ defense gave up 148 passing yards to the Browns, with two touchdowns. Despite this, New York’s defense played well, as they didn’t allow a single completion in the game. They also put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, with 8 sacks and not allowing a single third down conversion, as the Browns went 0-7 on third down. The Giants also had 8 quarterback hits and limited the Browns to 217 total yards.The Giants’ defense was particularly strong against the run, allowing just 69 yards on 18 attempts. However, they did give up two big plays in the passing game, resulting in both Browns touchdowns.

Our pick vs. the spread is to take the Giants to cover as home underdogs in this week four matchup against the Cowboys. The point spread line currently has the Giants at +5.5, and we have them not only covering but winning by a score of 26-24.

For the over/under pick, we are leaning towards taking the over, with a projected combined score of 50 points and the O/U line sitting at 45 points.

Giants Gaining Confidence as Cowboys Look for Answers

The Dallas Cowboys have had the New York Giants‘ number in recent seasons, having won six consecutive meetings and 13 of the last 14. One of the most notable victories came last year in a 40-0 thrashing at the Meadowlands in a primetime game. On Thursday night, Dallas will return to East Rutherford for another primetime matchup against their NFC East rivals.

Dallas’ Primetime Blowout of Giants Still Lingers

The Cowboys dominated last season’s opener, leading 26-0 before halftime, causing the home crowd to boo their team in frustration. For some Giants players, that defeat still stings.

“I’m a person, every game I act like it’s the Super Bowl for me,” said Giants safety Jason Pinnock. “But, of course, you do remember. I think everybody will remember home opener being beat like that on primetime TV.”

Cowboys Searching for Consistency After Rough Start

The Cowboys (1-2) started this season with a solid win over the Cleveland Browns but have since stumbled, with back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens. Last weekend’s 28-25 loss to the Ravens was closer on the scoreboard than the game itself, as Dallas scored 19 unanswered fourth-quarter points to narrow the gap after trailing by 22 points.

“We’ve got to get it right,” said Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons. “This is a winning organization. I’ll uphold that standard, but everyone has to uphold the standard. I just think we’re being tested right now.”

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence echoed Parsons’ concerns, particularly regarding the Cowboys’ poor starts.

“It doesn’t matter how much willpower you have at the end,” Lawrence said. “If you don’t start good, most likely you’re not gonna finish good, so the outcome is the outcome. Only thing we can do is go and review it and get better from it.”

Giants Eye Momentum After First Win

New York (1-2) comes into Thursday’s game with some momentum, following their first win of the season, a 21-15 victory over the Browns. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and a season-high 236 yards. The Giants now have an opportunity to reach .500, but their next hurdle is the dreaded Cowboys, who won both matchups last season, including a 49-17 blowout in Dallas.

“Yeah, we don’t like losing to anybody, especially a divisional game,” Jones said. “We understand what this game means, and we’ll be ready to go.”

Key Players and Offensive Struggles

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott currently leads the NFL with 851 passing yards, along with four touchdowns. However, he has been intercepted twice and sacked nine times. Dallas’ rushing attack has been lackluster, ranking 30th in the league with an average of 73.7 yards per game. Rico Dowdle leads the team with just 88 rushing yards, while Ezekiel Elliott has contributed 62 yards.

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Parsons, a defensive force over his first three seasons, has struggled to make an impact early this year, posting just 12 tackles and one sack after recording 40.5 sacks in his first three years.

Malik Nabers Emerging for Giants

New York’s offense has had its own struggles, ranking 29th in the league with just 15 points per game. Jones has passed for 600 yards, and rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers has emerged as his top target, accounting for 271 yards and three touchdowns—45% of the team’s receiving yardage.

“I have confidence in all our guys,” Jones said, “and Malik’s played well, but we’ve got a lot of good receivers.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is impressed with what he’s seen from Nabers.

“He has the size and the speed and the body control,” McCarthy said. “I think he’s a very exciting player when the ball’s in the air. That’s what stands out to me.”

Injuries Affect Both Teams

Injuries could play a significant role in Thursday’s game. The Giants will be without cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Dru Phillips due to calf injuries, while wide receiver Darius Slayton is questionable with a thumb injury.

For Dallas, cornerback Caelen Carson (shoulder) and safety Markquese Bell (ankle) are both listed as doubtful, with McCarthy calling them game-time decisions.