Almost all of the numbers behind the New York Giants read like the contours of a football carcass.
The G-Men are 2-6, have lost four straight games and, as appalling as this sounds, they have not had the lead at any point in their last four contests. On defense, they rank 28th out of 32 NFL teams in yards allowed (386.8) and points allowed (27.4) per game. Only five clubs have a worse point differential than the Giants (minus-60).
Coaches school their squads on the need to protect the football, yet the Giants are last in the league in turnovers (19) and 30th in turnover margin (minus-9). Leading the way is Daniel Jones, who leads all NFL quarterbacks with 13 total turnovers.
Jones flashed some of the signs you need from a top-rate NFL QB, even in the team's losses - such as last week's six-point defeat to Detroit, when Jones completed 28 of 41 passes for 322 yards, tossed four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Giants just don't have the talent or experience to carry Jones when he's not posting triple-digit passer ratings.
But none of the numbers matter for some teams. Especially when Big Blue plays Big D. The Giants won't have a better stage or more incentive to win than when the Dallas Cowboys travel to MetLife Stadium on Monday night. And few spots are bigger than a standalone game on national television against the nation's most polarizing team.
We can debate the most hated rival on the Giants' schedule every year. But there's a special spike of adrenaline when America's Team - a misnomer in almost every sense - comes to town. Dallas hasn't won a Super Bowl in a quarter-century yet no team has a larger following than the Cowboys. Dallas has a healthy lead overall in this series, winning 12 of the last 19 against the G-Men, including a 35-17 rout on September 8.
And you can be sure that Cowboys fans have poached copious tickets from Giants fans who have surrendered the season, which could make MetLife an NFL version of the Red River Rivalry, with half the stadium swathed in Giants jerseys, the other half lathered in Cowboys attire. Unlike the Giants, the Cowboys (4-3) are pining for first place in the NFC East, beating the Eagles in their last game.
The Cowboys are also coming off a bye week, making them well rested and well aware of the importance of winning a game within the division, with such games often used as a tiebreaker when crowning a division champ.
The Cowboys also have much more talent than their little Big Blue brothers. The stars with stars on their helmet include Dak Prescott, Zeke Elliott, Jaylen Smith, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Amari Cooper. Giants GM Dave Gettleman preaches the power of the line of scrimmage, where the Cowboys have better players on both sides. It's an old tableau for a loaded Cowboys club to stroll into the Meadowlands. Whether it's Tony Dorsett and Randy White or Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman or Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, the Cowboys always seem to beam from the marquee.
Big Blue's defense will be challenged, if not stretched by Dallas' volcanic offense, which leads the NFL with 437.9 yards per game. They are ranked third in passing and sixth in rushing, average 27.1 points per game, and only three teams have a better scoring differential than the Cowboys (plus-66). On defense, Dallas ranks seventh in points allowed (17.7) and eighth in yards allowed per game (324.9).
The biggest chasms between these teams are in talent and direction. The Giants are trying to rebuild into a playoff contender, and pretty much barfed their shot at relevance when they lost to the Lions. The Cowboys are built to win now, and are scratching their scalps as they try to pay all their studs on both sides of the ball. A win against the Giants beefs up their 3-0 record against teams in the NFC East.
The Cowboys are also 1-2 on the road. The Giants should need no incentive to remind Dallas that MetLife is an away game, no matter how many Cowboys fans make it feel like home.
Twitter: @JasonKeidel
