Get ready for Thursday Night Football! Explore the latest odds and expert picks for the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants matchup. Don't miss out!
A lot of the luster has worn off the Dallas Cowboys already, and we aren’t even out of September. Dallas was seen as a popular dark horse by many bettors with Super Bowl odds of 20-1 or less at the start of the month. The Cowboys hammered the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but they were crushed by the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 and fell behind the Baltimore Ravens 28-3 at home before rallying to make the game close in the end. Many of those same bettors are now putting the Cowboys on upset alert heading into their Thursday Night Football clash with the New York Giants.
Week 4 Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys -4
New York Giants +4
Total 44
We’ve already seen the football betting line for this game change substantially over the last couple days. Dallas was initially pegged as a 6.5-point favorite per the NFL odds, but the Cowboys have now dropped to just a four-point favorite in MetLife Stadium. This has been the Year of the Underdog as anyone in a Survivor Pool will tell you, so that could be fueling some of the action on the Giants too. There has only been slight movement on the total, pushing the number from 43.5 to a flat 44.
Dallas Cowboys Overview
Is it time to press the panic button in Dallas? After an offseason of speculation about the future of the franchise following its third straight 12-5 season coupled with an early postseason exit, the Cowboys decided to sign Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to long-term deals with a heap of guaranteed money. That placated Dallas’ star quarterback and receiver, but both have been off to slow starts this season. Prescott has completed just 60.7% of his passes for 7.0 YPA with four touchdowns and two interceptions, while Lamb has just 13 receptions for 218 yards and a single touchdown on 24 targets.
The ground game is totally nonexistent too. Ezekiel Elliott is clearly a shadow of his former self and is averaging just 3.3 YPC. Rico Dowdle is the leading rusher with 23 carries for 88 yards, as the Cowboys are averaging a scant 73.7 YPG and 3.6 YPC on the ground. They don’t have a carry longer than 12 yards, so opponents have been able to move their safeties back and dare Prescott to beat them through the air.
Dallas has had major issues on defense too. The Cowboys had the benefit of playing one of the NFL’s worst offenses in Week 1, but they are still in the bottom five in total defense (372.7 YPG) and scoring defense (29.7 PPG). They have the worst run defense in the league surrendering 5.4 YPC and 185.7 YPG on the ground, so the Giants have to like their chances.
New York Giants Overview
The New York Giants are coming off their best performance of the season last week. Daniel Jones played great in a win over Cleveland, completing 24 of 34 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns as rookie receiver Malik Nabers caught eight passes for 78 yards and both scores. Nabers is a clear dynamo on the perimeter, giving this offense the receiving threat they have been sorely lacking.
This ground game is not the same without Saquon Barkley though. Devin Singletary isn’t nearly as explosive as Barkley, carrying the ball 15 times for 22 yards if you take away a 43-yard run he had in the final few minutes. The Giants are averaging just 15.0 PPG because this offense is very pedestrian apart from the rookie Nabers.
Only one defense has gotten to the quarterback more than the Giants. Big Blue has 14 sacks through just three games as outside linebackers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux can get after the QB, and Dexter Lawrence is a fantastic nose tackle. Unfortunately, the Giants might be without four starters on that side of the ball.
Thursday Night Football Prediction
Dallas has to be the play here. The Cowboys are clearly the better team, and this should be a get right game for them.
Final Score: Dallas 27, New York 16
