The Dallas Cowboys took full control of the NFC East with last week’s 27-20 victory over the Washington Football Team. Despite another subpar performance on the offensive side of the football, the Cowboys defense delivered a dominant performance by forcing five sacks and four turnovers which included a 37-yard fumble return for a touchdown by CB Dorance Armstrong. Needless to say, the Cowboys defense appears to be handling the heavy work for the first time in recent memory, and the Dallas defense will have another great match-up when they go into East Rutherford, NJ, on Sunday for a meeting with the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
The hapless Giants dropped their 2nd straight game last week with a 37-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers to move to 4-9 SU on the season. Despite the firing of former OC Jason Garrett, the Giants did not show much improvement despite a few garbage-time touchdowns from QB Mike Glennon and RB Saquan Barkley. In total, the G-men produced just 316 total yards against one of the least efficient defenses in the NFL, and those offensive issues have been the main issue throughout the season. On Sunday, the Giants return home for the first time since their week 12 win over the Eagles but as 10.5 point underdogs to Dallas, marking the largest point spread deficit the Giants have faced all year.
QB Mike Glennon to start against Dallas
Starting QB Daniel Jones has missed the last two games with a neck injury and has already been ruled out for the Week 15 showdown with the Cowboys. Jones suffered a neck strain which is reportedly being evaluated for ligament and/or nerve damage which may jeopardize his return at any point this season. QB Mike Glennon will receive the 3rd straight start for the Giants against a ferocious Dallas pass-rush and advantageous secondary that has feasted on quarterback mistakes.
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To add to concern, Glennon has been relatively awful in his backup role completing just 40 of his 80 passing attempts for just 387 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. Glennon also handled the bulk of the snaps in the Giants 44-20 loss in week five against the Cowboys after Daniel Jones was knocked out of that game. Glennon completed 16 of 25 passing for 196 yards with a touchdown and gave up two interceptions, including a pick-six, which allowed the Cowboys to pull away. Needless to say, this does not appear to be a favorable match-up against Dallas when you consider the trends, prior Week 5 match-up, and the overall momentum from the Cowboys defense heading into Sunday’s Week 15 meeting.
- Get more details: Dallas at NY Giants Week 15 Betting Stats
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants Betting Analysis
Perhaps the only thing that could give Giants some appeal with the 10.5 point underdog spread is the fact that the Cowboys’ offense is in a semi-slump. RB Ezekiel Elliott has been playing through a knee injury that does not appear to be going away. Meanwhile, breakout RB Tony Pollard was held out last week due to a torn plantar fascia in his foot. Pollard’s workload has increased significantly this season, with Elliott nursing a knee injury, and the Cowboys’ are not nearly as dangerous without the threat of the running game.
QB Dak Prescott has cooled significantly from his hot start to the season. In fact, Prescott has tossed just four passing touchdowns compared to 5 interceptions over the last four games. Obviously, the counterargument to the Cowboys struggles is that the team is still tremendously talented. Receivers CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup compile one of the NFL’s most dangerous receiving corps. I would argue that the Cowboys’ have too much talent and a strong play-caller in OC Kellen Moore to expect these issues to continue long-term. However, it is something to consider going into this Sunday’s showdown with the Giants as relatively large favorites.
