It’s Thursday night football tonight and here we go… The Dallas Cowboys will square off against the New York Giants tonight in a crucial Week 4 “Thursday Night Football” matchup in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This will mark the Cowboys’ first NFC East game of the season after playing two of their first three games against teams from the AFC. Meanwhile, the Giants will be facing their second divisional opponent, following a narrow 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 2.
Both teams enter the contest with identical 1-2 records. Not the best shape in the hotly contested NFC East division but not the worst shape either. Interestingly, their lone victories came against the same team, the Cleveland Browns. The Cowboys opened their season with a win over Cleveland, while the Giants stunned the Browns on the road in Week 3, securing a massive upset as 6.5-point underdogs.
ICYMI, in that upset victory, the Giants unleashed an overwhelming pass rush that rattled Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. They recorded an impressive 10 sacks and generated 41 total pressures, 11 more than any other team managed in Week 3. This was a huge leap for the Giants’ defense, which had only managed 29 pressures combined in their first two games. If they can maintain this level of disruption, they could be a formidable force down the stretch.
The Cowboys, America’s team as they say, on the other hand, are coming off a disappointing loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens, where they struggled in multiple areas. Despite a late-game surge in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late. One of the most glaring issues for Dallas has been its inability to establish a consistent running game. The Cowboys rank in the bottom five in explosive run percentage (4.8%) and yards after contact per attempt (2.2), making it hard to generate momentum on offense.
Dallas’ troubles in stopping the run are even more concerning but hopefully not the Giants from their perspective. Their first-round pick from 2023, defensive lineman Mazi Smith, has struggled, earning the lowest Pro Football Focus (PFF) run-defense grade at his position through three games (27.5). The Cowboys’ defense as a whole has allowed the league’s worst Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush at 0.261, nearly four times higher than the next worst team. These defensive struggles could make it difficult for Dallas to capitalize on their passing game, despite having star talents like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Get this, if Cowboys are to bounce back, they will need to find balance on offense and shore up their defensive front. As the season progresses, they can’t afford to place all the pressure on Prescott and Lamb to carry the team.
Tonight’s matchup will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for fans looking to tune in to “Thursday Night Football.”
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