Dallas Cowboys

Can the New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys in week 5?

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

After starting the 2020 regular season 0-4, the New York Giants are preparing to face off against the Dallas Cowboys in week five. As always, this is an anticipated matchup between two divisional rivals, but the Giants haven’t been able to overcome a strong Dallas team in recent years.

Both have their deficiencies, and they are exact opposites of one another. The Cowboys currently ranked third in total offense, averaging 31.5 points per game. They rank first in yards per game at 509.5. Comparably to the Giants, they are head and shoulders above the competition.

Big Blue currently ranks 31st in the NFL in yards per game at 278. They are last in points per game with 11.8. Only the Jets are better with 16.3, which is a significant difference considering it’s an average of four games.

Defense is where Dallas struggles, offering a slight glimpse of hope for a Giants’ offense that has been nonexistent.

How the New York Giants can overcome the Dallas Cowboys:

It won’t be easy taking down Dallas, considering their lights out offense. Defensively, if the Giants can’t get in the end zone, they will lose this game by a landslide. They held a superb Los Angeles Rams team to just 17 points in week four, but it would’ve been less if the offense was able to muster any momentum.

Daniel Jones has been running for his life behind a spotty offensive line, and things aren’t going to get much better with the strength of their schedule. The running game finally picked it up in week four, posted 138 yards on the ground. The passing game has been a major issue, which has forced Jones to utilize his legs too frequently. The weakness for Dallas lies in their secondary, with patchwork defenders holding down the fort.

With the Cowboys allowing 36.5 points per game, they have re-tooled their unit with aging stars and skeptical defenders. They are the single-worst scoring defense in team history, so far.

Against the Browns in week four, they allowed 307 rushing yards, and that was without Nick Chubb for a majority of the contest. Russell Wilson put up five touchdowns against Dallas in week three, showing their lackluster secondary.

The Giants have the talent to operate at an adequate level, and Dallas will give them an opportunity to finally break free from their schematic chains. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett must get more creative, as they have seemingly utilized a base, day one scheme with a bit of creativity sprinkled in on occasion. Every play needs to be planned and executed to perfection, but the Giants are a long way from perfecting that reality.

At the very least, scoring a few touchdowns would be beneficial and provide some positive momentum. Dak Prescott has already logged 12 touchdowns through four games, meaning the Giants have a tall task ahead of them on defense.

Do I think the Giants can beat Dallas, yes, but I don’t feel confident the offense can put up more than 20 points regardless. It really boils down to winning the turnover differential and winning the time of possession.

New York Giants: Who’s primed for a better year Saquon Barkley or Ezekiel Elliott?

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The NFC East contains two running back’s that have top-five potential in 2020. New York Giants‘ Saquon Barkley and Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott are the two players that will compete side-by-side for their establishment as the best back in the NFC East.

The question: Who will have a better year and why?

1.) Ezekiel Elliott

Elliott is going through some major changes on offense in 2020. The Cowboys replaced head coach Jason Garrett with Mike McCarthy. Elliott had performed extremely well under Garrett in previous years, but the team did keep Kellen Moore as their offensive coordinator. Their offense was focused primarily around the passing game in 2019, which took away from Elliott’s production as it was the first season in his career he didn’t lead the NFL in rushing yards per game.

The change in scheme and now the drafting of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb should not assist in Elliott’s efficiency moving forward. He will be more valued as a blocker and receiver than as a running back. They have a similar style to the Kansas City Chiefs, who rely on passes and intermediate throws to move the chains. To give you a good example of how the Dallas’ offense could change with McCarthy as their head coach when Ezekiel Elliott joined the team in 2016, their offense ranked 1st, 5th, 10th, and 8th and rush attempts per game.

Comparably, Mike McCarthy’s offenses ranked 29th, 27th, and 30nd during that same time span.

We can project that Elliott will have a far superior year than he has enjoyed in the past, which should give Saquon Barkley a heavy advantage.

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VIDEO: Virtual New York Giants legends battle Dallas in Madden NFL 20 simulation

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RADIO.COM hosted a virtual showdown between New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys legends at a pixelated version of MetLife Stadium.

The ongoing pandemic has eliminated a lot of the norms of daily life that we take for granted. Close games between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys have apparently managed to become an exception. RADIO.COM hosted a virtual showdown between legends of the Giants and Cowboys in a simulation presented on EA Sports’ Madden NFL 20 video game. The internet radio platform and music recommender is a property of Entercom, which owns both WFAN and 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM), the respective flagship radio stations of New York and Dallas respectively.

Replicas of players from each of the respective teams’ history, spanning over 150 combined seasons of football, partook in the simulation, which Dallas won by a 23-20 final thanks to a Dan Bailey field goal with 18 seconds to go.

The Giants, dressed in their home unforms worn from 1976 through 1998, jumped out to an early lead that they held for a majority of the first half. Emlen Tunnell intercepted a Roger Staubach pass on Dallas’ first play from scrimmage. Eli Manning needed only three plays to capitalize, finding Odell Beckham Jr. for an eight-yard score. Between Bailey field goals, Manning threw his second touchdown pass on the end of an 11-play, 75-yard drive, this one going to Jeremy Shockey from seven yards out. Manning was bought some time in the pocket by an offensive that consisted of Rosey Brown, Shaun O’Hara, Mel Hein, Chris Snee, and David Diehl before finding Shockey for a score that brought digital MetLife Stadium to its feet.

Dallas ventured into the Giants’ red zone, but Corey Webster’s interception took a touchdown reception from Michael Irvin. However, the expected momentum solidification never came. Manning found Beckham on the Giants’ next offensive play, but a fumble forced by DeMarcus Ware was picked up by fellow linebacker Sean Lee for a touchdown. Lawrence Tynes booted a 47-yard field goal to slightly inflate the Giants’ lead, but Emmitt Smith gave the Cowboys their first lead on a 75-yard scoring rush just as the two-minute warning commenced.

The Giants got back to the Dallas red zone with no timeouts, but Shockey’s attempt to score a last-second touchdown after breaking several tackles was thwarted by Byron Jones, who stopped the tight end just short of the goal line as time expired.

Both team’s defensive stars rose to the occasion in the second half. Tunnell, Mark Collins (who was wearing No. 24 in contrast to his traditional No. 25) and Michael Strahan were among those with sacks for the Giants, but they only mustered another Tynes field goal on offense. After Bailey’s fateful boot, the Giants’ brief counter got to Dallas’ 40 after Manning found Amani Toomer for a big gain. However, the virtual New York brain trust opted for a win rather than a deep Tynes attempt, and Manning’s prayer with Shockey in the vicinity fell incomplete to end the game.

Toomer earned 143 yards on 10 receptions, while Manning finished the game 39-of-53 with 352 and the two scores.

The modern-day, human incarnations of the Giants and Cowboys are currently set to face off on October 11 and January 3.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags 

How the Dallas Cowboys Landed in the NFC East

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51 years ago today that the NFL-AFL merger took form when the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers of the 16-team NFL agreed to join the AFL to form the 13-team American Football Conference. It was also the same day in which the new NFL agreed on a playoff format that introduced some crazy concept of a wild-card entrant from each conference.

The following 1970 season, the two leagues would operate under the NFL shield and its commissioner, Pete Rozelle. The league would be divided into two 13-team conferences with three divisions isn each conference.

How the league would allocate the teams into which divisions was a crapshoot. In the new NFC, There was an abundance of east coast teams and not enough in the western time zones. Five proposed breakdowns were devised, and legend has it, written on a pieces of paper and put into a flower vase. Rozelle’s secretary reached into the vase and randomly chose the breakdown that would be the framework of the modern NFC as we know it.

Going in, there were several constants. The New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins were in the NFC East in each of the five proposals as were the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in the Central and the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the West. The other six teams were all over the map in the other four proposals.

Four of the five proposals had the Minnesota Vikings in the East and the Dallas Cowboys in either the Central or the West.

So, when you question how the NFL stuck the Dallas Cowboys in the East, it was a random thing – a one in five shot. The proposal that was picked ended them up in the East along with the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the first decade after the merger, the Cowboys won the division seven times and Cardinals won it twice. The Redskins broke up the party in 1972 with George Allen’s Over-the-Hill gang made their Super Bowl run, losing to Don Shula’s perfect Miami Dolphins.

Between 1970 and 1980, the Cowboys beat the Giants 18 of 22 games.

Dallas has won the NFC East 23 times since Rozelle’s secretary made that fateful draw. Hence the hatred from the other four teams. What would have happened if she picked one of the other four pieces of paper?

One had the NFC as a four team set (NYG, WAS, PHI, MIN). The other three had combinations of Minnesota with Atlanta, St. Louis and Detroit – three teams that were nowhere near the juggernaut that Tom Landry’s Cowboys were in the 70s or Jimmy Johnson’s teams of the 90s would become.

For the record, the Eagles won their first NFC East title in 1980 under head coach Dick Vermeil. They have gone on to win the division 10 more times.

The Giants were the only team in the East without a division title until they finally broke through in 1986. They have eight total division titles as do the Redskins.

The Cardinals stayed in the division even after they moved from St. Louis to Phoenix in 1988. They were finally moved to the NFC West in 2002 when the NFL expanded to 32 teams with four divisions of four teams in each conference. They only won the East those two years (1974-75) in the 70s.

 

Are the Cowboys Pursuing Trade For New York Jet’s Cornerstone?

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New York Jets, Jamal Adams

The Cowboys went down to the wire with the Jets at the trade deadline in negotiations for star safety Jamal Adams. The New York Jets wanted a 1st Round Pick and 2 Seconds. The Cowboys wouldn’t budge on their offer of a 1st and a day 3 selection. The Jets kept Jamal and after briefly being a cause of unrest among the Jets faithful, he went right back to bringing the energy to the defense and team as a whole.

Now, the New York Jets are in an offseason where they’ve spent a small amount of money on short term deals. They’ve invested in the offensive line and are seemingly going to invest a bulk of their draft picks into the offense as well. The Jets are preparing to rebuild this team into a contender in the future, not next season. This means they need to keep the talent they do have on defense for the long haul, so the Jets need to either lock up Jamal for the future or trade him and get compensation for him.

What Could A Deal Look Like?

I and many Jets fans would prefer he remains in Green and White, but the Cowboys are reportedly monitoring the situation between the Jets and Jamal and may be prepping to attempt a trade again. If the Cowboys did make an offer, it would likely include their 1st rounder, their 2nd or 3rd rounder and maybe another pick. The Jets would hypothetically then have a selection to add one of the top offensive linemen at 11 and add a receiver with the Cowboys selection. This would give them much more flexibility and help build for the long term with more guys on less expensive deals.

Is It Really Worth It?

Although some people discredit Jamal’s impact because of how the safety position is valued, he’s more than just a typical safety. Adams is an absolute monster on defense. He led the team in sacks last year with Jordan Jenkins. He’s also masterful in coverage and tackling. Adams is not just a force on the field but also in the locker room. Adams actively recruits players, is the voice of the team and the captain of the defense. He’s well regarded within the Jets community and the league as a whole. The Jets struck gold with Jamal Adams. No matter who they could add with the Cowboys picks, those players couldn’t have the same impact Jamal has had. Jamal Adams needs to remain a Jet, not just for now, but for a very long time.

New York Giants: An Extra Bad Year To Be Extra Bad

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New York Giants, Pat Shurmur

The New York Giants, once again, are eliminated from playoff contention. The Giants are 2-10, and no matter how many games they win between now and the end of the year, their season is over. This will be the third year in a row that the Giants finish with ten or more losses and without a spot in the playoffs.

This year, though, the Giants are extra bad. Unfortunately, their division is, too. The NFC East is once again the NFC Least. If the Giants were even an average team this season, they would be in playoff contention. 2019 was a really bad year for the Giants to be really bad.

The NFC Least

The NFC East has a combined record of 16-33. Not a single team in the division has a winning record. The Dallas Cowboys are currently leading the division with a 6-7 record after a bad loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. The Philadelphia Eagles are 5-7, one game behind, and their next matchup is against one of the worst teams in the NFL (the Giants).

If only the Giants had been average and had been able to win a few of the easy games on their schedule this season. They are eliminated from the playoffs with a 2-10 record and only have three more losses than the team winning their division. Even the Washington Redskins, who are 3-9, have yet to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

The New York Giants were .500 in September. After Week 4, New York was 2-2. It has been all downhill from that point on. The Giants squandered their playoff chances and are now on an 8-game losing streak. For the first time in franchise history, the Giants failed to win a game in the months of October and November.

The Giants are historically bad this year. If only they had chosen any other year to be this bad. Of course, it had to be this year: the year their division is historically bad, too. This should serve as a wake-up call to the New York Giants. They need to make significant changes in the future.

New York Jets: Containing The Cowboys Key Pieces Is Essential

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Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys’ defense is young and talented. To go along with that, so much of the preparation and headlines regarding this game have been centered around Sam Darnold and the New York Jets offense. Reportedly Adam Gase hadn’t been using the regular playbook in order to not over expose it without the franchise guy at the helm. Now Darnold is back and the Jets offense is going to be expected to come out and perform a hell of a lot better than they have to this point.

The Jets can win this game on offense by scoring points but the Jets can easily control the momentum in this game with their defense. Their defense will not only get a lift from Sam being back on offense but they also get Jordan Jenkins and Brandon Copeland back. Jenkins and Copeland are both two of the best edge rushers on this squad and their additions will help immediately. The biggest key to this game is going to be controlling the 4 key pieces of the Cowboy offense.

Amari Cooper:

Despite being injured Amari Cooper has been great for the Cowboys this year. He’s been a true number one wide receiver for this squad. The Jets are going to have to find someone capable of covering him in this ballgame. The best case would be a swapping of Hairston, Johnson and Roberts throughout the game. Allowing them to rotate may be able to contain Cooper. The added benefit of his injury will assist the corners to keep up with him.

Michael Gallup:

The big bodied receiver is a huge part of the Dallas offense. He’s a mismatch and hard to cover. Brian Poole has been the Jets most reliable corner this season and I think this should be his matchup all day. Gallup has been able to torch just about every defense since Thanksgiving last year. He’s got it all figured out now and he’s a dangerous weapon. If the Jets can keep him in control that’s huge.

Ezekiel Elliot:

The Jets run defense has been solid and their front 7, despite injuries has been pretty good. This matchup is evidently a rough one but with two of their starting offensive linemen questionable and a solid defense this matchup could be a lot more in favor of the Jets than expected. The key is gonna have to be if Tyron Smith and La’el Collins play. If they don’t then this could be a big thing for the Jets.

Dak Prescott:

Dak is a glorified game manager. However, he’s also a bonafide leader. He’s by far not one of the most talented QBs in the game. His leadership skills and above average skill set make him a good QB. Pressure rattles Prescott and the Jets will be able to apply that this time around. Jordan Jenkins and Brandon Copeland are excellent edge rushers and will hopefully apply pressure and rattle Dak or else it could be a long day.

If the Jets offense is even remotely good and the defense can contain Dallas than this is a game the Jets could fare better in than expected. If the key pieces are electric than it could be a long day. Gregg Williams better be ready because if he and his defense aren’t prepared it’ll be a terrible loss.P

New York Giants: Eli Manning Needs To Take More Risks

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The New York Giants desperately need the old Eli Manning to take over the imposter who wears #10 for the Giants. The quarterback who would frustrate fans by forcing balls down the field, but also energize his team by taking risks to generate big plays down the field. They need the quarterback who took risks, hung in the pocket and let his receivers make plays down the field. The organization needs that guy back for them to salvage this season.

Eli has become too conservative. He reads the field looking for the safe throw first before looking at his deep read. The defense is going to be poor all year, he has to take shots for the Giants to compete in 2019. Last season, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers all had a higher INT % than Eli Manning.

There has been a lot of scrutiny on the strength of Eli’s arm, but what good is it to have a healthy arm if you aren’t going to use it? On Sunday against the Cowboys, Eli attempted a deep pass (20+ yards down the field) on only 6.8% of his dropbacks, according to Profootballfocus metrics.

After rewatching every non-screen pass play called through the first three quarters, it became evident Eli left a lot of opportunities out there for the Giants. Let’s dive into the film.

Film Review

Q2 8:38 – 3rd and 12

The Giants struggled to convert third downs all game, converting only two out of eleven third-down opportunities. Midway through the second quarter, the Giants faced a third and 12 from their own 33. Dallas left the deep middle of the field exposed, if Eli holds the ball a half-second longer, he has the time to hit Russell Sheppard on a deep crossing route. Instead, he opts to check down to Ellison and the Giants punt.

Q2 1:13 – 1st and 10

The two-minute drill was unwatchable. The Giants gained 31 yards in the 1:04 they had the ball. The Cowboys played cover 3 on this play, which should have been advantageous to the Giants given they ran a flat curl combination to Eli’s left. The cornerback in the slot to Eli’s left should be Eli’s first read to dictate where he wants to go with the ball. As soon as the slot corner sprints to the flat, Eli knows he’ll have the curl route, which he did. Instead, the ball comes out quickly over the middle for a short gain.

Q2 0:54 – 2nd and 4

The Giants dial up the perfect play design against the Cowboys covers 2 defense. To Eli’s right, Engram sprints to the flat to occupy the corner, giving Sheppard room to make a play over top between the corner and the safety. This should have been Eli’s first read, but once again he gets rid of the ball too quickly and doesn’t take advantage of what the coverage is giving him.

Q2 0:30 – 1st and 10

This was one of Eli’s most egregious misses. He completes an accurate ball to Latimer on the sideline but misses a great opportunity to hit Engram up the seam matched against a linebacker. It’s possible he was spooked by the safety in the middle of the field, but given how much time was left in the half and where the Giants were on the field, this was a risk worth taking.

Q3 11:12 – 2nd and 9

On this play-action rollout to Eli’s right, it takes him too long to come off his first few reads along the sideline. If he had looked up, he would have seen a wide-open Rhett Ellison in the back of the end zone. These kind of misses are inexcusable.

Q3 8:39 – 2nd and 3

First, let’s give the Giants credit for actually sending Barkley on a wheel route and trying to free him up with a pick play. Eli has a fairly clean pocket to throw from, but seems to panic and get rid of the ball too early before Barkley was expecting it. If he tries to hit Barkley in stride further down the sideline, this is likely a touchdown.

Conclusion

The Giants desperately need Eli to elevate the offense. 2011 Eli wouldn’t have won Sunday against the Cowboys, but 2011 Eli can carry this team to a wild card birth. The offensive line looks strong, he finally has as running game and a few weapons among his receivers and tight ends. If Eli forces a pick downfield next Sunday you will hear a lot of groans from the fans in the stands, but that could also be a signal that Eli is back and ready to elevate this offense one last time.

The New York Giants Need To Change Their Offensive Game Plan In Week Two

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New York Giants, Eli Manning, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants just got embarrassed in a week one blowout loss against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys. The Giants defense has stolen all the headlines for the putrid performance in pass-defense. The Giants let Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott have a career-day and post a perfect 153.8 quarterback rating.

Yes, the Giants’ defense was awful and was the main reason they lost on Sunday. But it was not the only reason. The Giants’ offense should shoulder plenty of blame as well.

The Giants’ Game Plan In Week One

The Giants had so much hype surrounding Saquon Barkley heading into the season. Barkley is coming off of an incredible Offensive Rookie of the Year season in which he lead the league in scrimmage yards with 2,028. Despite this, Barkley was barely a part of the offense in week one.

The Giants gave Saquon Barkley a measly 11 carries despite Barkley averaging 10.91 yards per carry. Saquon got the ball rolling on the Giants’ first drive and looked like his usual explosive self, busting through with a 59-yard run on the Giants’ second play from scrimmage.

Unfortunately, Barkley did not see too many more opportunities like this for the rest of the game. The Cowboys have a star running back of their own in Zeke Elliott. Eliott had not practiced all offseason and signed a contract just two days before the first game of the season. Despite this, Dallas had the wisdom to feed their star running back.

Elliott got 13 carries, two more than Barkley, despite not playing football in pads in over a year. Instead of running their offense through their best player, the Giants decided to run a pass-heavy offense against the Cowboys’ strong pass-rush.

Eli Manning attempted 44 passes on Sunday. Manning was not the problem with the Giants’ offense (though he was not the solution either). The problem with the Giants’ offense was the play calling. Pat Shurmur’s refusal to feed Saquon Barkley cost the Giants a fighting chance in this game.

What The Giants’ Game Plan Needs To Be In Week Two

Pat Shurmur had multiple opportunities to get Saquon Barkley the ball on third or fourth and short but found every way possible not to. The Giants were awful on third down against the Cowboys, converting only two of their twelve opportunities.

Pat Shurmur noted that this was an area that the Giants needed to improve on in week two. The way to improve the third-down rate is to give the ball to Saquon Barkley. Barkley was targeted six times as a receiver, catching four of those passes, making his touch total 15.

Saquon Barkley is a generational talent who needs more than 15 touches and needs at least 20. If Barkley does not receive 20 touches in week two against the Bills, the Giants’ offense will disappoint again.

Another key to beating the Bills will be keeping the defense off the field as much as possible. Again, the solution is simple: feed Saquon Barkley. The more time the Giants take up running the ball, the more time their defense sits on the sideline.

Saquon Barkley is the best player on the New York Giants. It is time for Pat Shurmur to game plan as if he realizes this. Shurmur cannot use Saquon as a decoy anymore. He needs to be used as a force on offense. If this necessary change is made in week two, the Giants have a good chance of beating the Buffalo Bills in the 2019 home opener.

New York Giants: Positives and Negatives of the Season Opener

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The New York Giants struck excitement into the fanbase with their first possession only to disappoint in the end. There was more bad than good in this game, here are some of the crucial factors against the Cowboys:

Positives

1.) Starting with the good, Evan Engram’s workload in week 1 should be encouraging. He caught 11 passes for 116 yards with a touchdown on the first drive. The 3rd-year tight end led the team in receiving yards and looks like the number 1 option in the passing game.

2.) The team started strong with the rushing attack. Saquon Barkley’s 59-yard run helped the team walk down the field for a touchdown on their opening drive. The team at least started off running the ball, although they failed to stick with it.

3.) Ezekiel Elliot was held to 53 rushing yards. He was able to frustrate the New York Giants defense with plenty of runs that kept the Dallas offense on schedule but he never broke loose for big gains. His longest run was a gain of 10 yards.

4.) Pat Shurmur was active with the officials. He had something to say about many plays in this game, as he should. As a coach who calls plays it’s encouraging to see his attention in other areas of the game.

5.) The Giants tried to stretch the field with Cody Latimer. While it was far too late in the game to execute this kind of play, Eli Manning and Cody Latimer connected for 43 yards down the right sideline.

Negatives

1.) Now, the inexcusable layers to this game. Starting with the failure to establish the running game. The worst part about this is how well it worked on the first drive, gaining over 60 yards on the ground. After that drive, Saquon Barkley split carries with Wayne Gallman and Elijah Penny for the rest of the game. As their best player, this is inexcusable. A consistent running attack would’ve aided the defense as well. If the coaches wanted him with the 2nd overall pick they should plan to consistently feature him in the offense.

2.) Eli Manning looked less scared in the pocket than last year but looked just as scared to throw an interception. Last year Eli cut down on interceptions at the expense of taking fewer shots down the field. He avoided interceptions in this game as well by slowly crawling down the field with plenty of check-downs over the middle. Eli never tried to keep up with Dallas in this game, he finally completed his first deep pass of the game in the 2nd half when they were down 21-10.

3.) James Bettcher left too many players on an island against Amari Cooper. The only cornerback that should’ve drawn one on one matchups against Cooper is Janoris Jenkins. Dak Prescott found him for big plays when has up against Deandre Baker and safeties one on one. The team should’ve double-covered him more often especially with his production early in the game.

4.) Play-calling was an issue. Everyone remembers the 3rd and 1 where the momentum completely slipped away from the Giants. They could’ve called a run, especially since they were prepared to attempt a fourth-down conversion. Instead, the Giants tried a play-action rollout to hit Barkley on a flat route. Eli was called for intentional grounding on the play, ultimately stalling the drive. This was a chance to find their identity as the physical team Shurmur and Gettleman want.

5.) Sterling Shepard wasn’t targeted down the field. Usually, a 6-catch day is something to write home about, not when it’s for 42 yards. It’s not Shepard’s fault he averaged only 7 yards per reception, the coaching staff needs to dial up more plays for him down the field. Shepard had a deflating moment letting the ball bounce off his chest in the endzone but they need to give him more opportunities to make a difference. They just re-signed the playmaker this offseason for over $10 million per season.

While Eli didn’t particularly impress, the coaches set this team up for failure this week. The team didn’t run the ball enough early on to aid their defense. James Bettcher didn’t respect Dallas’ primary pass catchers with additional coverage. The New York Giants will need to solve their issues quickly if they don’t want this season to get out of hand. They get a chance to redeem themselves against the Buffalo Bills next Sunday at 1 pm.