5 takeaways from Cowboys’ 40-0 drubbing of Giants on Sunday Night Football originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Rain wasn’t the only thing that fell on the New York Giants on Sunday night.
Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard jogged into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run. Jogged. The scoreboard jumped to 33-0 in the third quarter at MetLife Stadium.
It ended 40-0.
New York simply had no answer offensively, giving Dallas a perfect platform to capitalize with easy points that widened the gap.
Let’s delve deeper into the five-point analysis:
A momentum changer in one game
New York started with the ball and drove 48 yards downfield in 11 plays (the last was a fumble on third down that lost yards) that took up seven minutes of the clock. Until the accident, the Giants were coordinated and confident. Then, Graham Gano’s ensuing field goal attempt was blocked and returned 58 yards for a Noah Igbinoghene touchdown.
New York has never looked more coordinated and confident. And Dallas never looked back.
Daniel Jones suffers a forgettable night
Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Giants last offseason. That amounts to $40 million per year. He finished the game with 104 passing yards on 15-for-28 completions, no touchdowns and two picks. He was sacked seven times and added 43 rushing yards on 13 attempts. That’s not what a $40 million player should be offering.
Of course, the weather and poor offensive line play weren’t optimally in Jones’ best interest, but these signs were observable in previous seasons unless he made notable improvements as a pocket passer. That didn’t seem to be the case in week 1.
Life after Ezekiel Elliott is off to a strong start for Dallas
For the first time since 2016, Dallas started a game without Elliott in the backfield. It was time to move on anyway, and they didn’t waste a moment as Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle and KaVontae Turpin got it done in their respective ways. Pollard in particular looked sharp with his 70 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns. Turpin also added a rushing touchdown.
Their production made the night much easier for Dak Prescott, who didn’t stand out statistically — 143 yards on 13-for-24 passing, no touchdowns and no picks — but didn’t need to.
Giants lack of WR quality is on display
New York made the playoffs last season with Darius Slayton as its most productive wideout. Slayton posted 46 catches for 724 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games. The Giants simply needed more to reach the next level, but this loss made it clear that they might fall back.
Darren Waller led the receiving department that night, but that didn’t have a significant impact on the game. He had three catches for 36 yards, with the next highest being Isaiah Hodgins with one catch for 24 yards. Yeah, that’s just not good enough.
The Cowboys stellar defense appears to be at Super Bowl level
The defense is winning championships and Dallas appears to have a capable unit. New York’s offensive line didn’t exactly resist the Cowboys’ pressure, but seven sacks and 11 QB hits are nothing to gloss over. Not to mention the countless times they knocked the ball out of New York’s hands even when they couldn’t recover the fumble in wet conditions.
Dallas also had eight passes defended, while Stephon Gilmore accounted for three of his own. Once again, the Cowboys didn’t have much to defend and the real tests will come later, but it’s a promising sign for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
