Dallas Dumps NYG 20-15 in Ugly Thursday Nighter
Plus: Army moves to 4-0 straight up and ATS at Temple
The one “sure thing” I gathered from various pre-game coverage on social media…was that the Giants would be able to run the ball easily against the Cowboys’ soft interior defense…so Dallas would have to outscore what its defense would allow to win and cover.
Giants ran the ball 24 times for 26 yards…well, so much for THAT theory!
Handicapping “rushing” in the NFL is always tricky. A lot of what’s perceived as “rush defense” is just a choice defensive coordinators are making regarding what they’ll focus on each week. They’ll concede rushing yards in the middle of the field if they’re more concerned about the pass…or if the opponent is doing so well with the pass that the defense must spread out and try to stop everything. But, against crappy QB’s, when they KNOW that rushing will be the point of emphasis…they have a better chance of not looking so horrible against the run.
Dallas does have a soft defense. That will be more apparent against good offenses. Against the Giants, a brick wall at the point of attack and ZERO touchdowns allowed in eight drives. As a result, this became a grinder with both teams running a lot of clock while trying to get points on the board.
*Dallas (-5) won at the NY Giants 20-15, winning yards-per-play 5.7 to 4.7, rushing 80-26, drive points (those scored on drives of 60 yards or more) 14-3, red zone TD pct 100% (1/1) to 0% (0/2), and TOs 1-0 (G-men also had a 4D failure). New York won total yardage 303-293 on 65-51 plays, and third downs 31-30% (neither good).
Both teams moved in the middle of the field. Only Dallas could FINISH drives with touchdowns. You regulars know we’ve talked a lot about that over time. It’s a big part of what separates experienced/good QB’s from inexperienced/bad QBs. The Giants won yardage 303-293, but Dallas won drive points 14-3 and red zone TD percentage 100% to 0%. More important than winning yardage.