The (7-3) New York Giants and (7-3) Dallas Cowboys will renew their rivalry on Thanksgiving as Big Blue travels to Dallas looking to avenge their 23-16 loss in Week 3. This will be the 122nd meeting between these two teams as both look to stay within striking distance of the (9-1) Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
This past week, the two teams had two significantly different outcomes. The Cowboys couldn’t do anything wrong as they thoroughly dominated the Minnesota Vikings 40-3 in the best game they played all year. The New York Giants on the other hand played their worst and were soundly defeated by the Detroit Lions 31-18.
The worst part of their loss to the Lions was that they suffered a slew of injuries, including losing Wan’Dale Robinson for the season due to a torn ACL and Adoree’ Jackson will miss the next four to six weeks with an MCL sprain.
Related: Wan’Dale Robinson’s injury could ignite Odell Beckham’s return to Giants
This is why New York’s enters their Thanksgiving matchup as decisive nine-and-a-half point underdogs. But anything can happen in a divisional game, and Dallas has been known to not play their best game on Thanksgiving.
With all that said, here are three bold predictions for the New York Giants as they look to upset the Cowboys on turkey day.
Saquon Barkley will outrush both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined
On Sunday against the Lions, Barkley had his lowest output of the season as he was held to 22 yards on 15 carries. The only other time Barkley was held to less than 60 yards on the ground this season was in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks.
He would bounce back in a big way in New York’s next game against the Houston Texans in Week 10 when he rushed for 152 yards on 35 carries and a touchdown. He’ll once again look to rebound against a team from Texas, as the biggest weakness for the Cowboys is stopping the run allowing 136.1 yards per game.
Ezekiel Elliott used to be the workhorse for Dallas. But this season he’s been sharing the load with the younger and faster Tony Pollard. So far this season the duo of Elliott and Pollard has 1,186 yards on the ground on 242 carries, and last week against the Vikings they rushed for 122 yards.
New York’s front seven and in particular Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams will fare better than the Vikings did last week at stopping the run, while Barkley will be back to making explosive plays. This will lead to Barkley single-handily outgaining Elliott and Pollard on the ground.
New York will keep Micah Parsons quiet
The Cowboys might have the best defensive player in the league in Micah Parsons. The versatile defender is third in the NFL in sacks with 10, and last week he sacked quarterback Kirk Cousins twice, had five quarterback hits, and forced a fumble.
As explosive as Parsons is, New York likes their chances when he’s lined up against left tackle Andrew Thomas. Thomas is playing at an All-Pro level as he’s only allowed one quarterback pressure in the last three games.
Dallas will line up Parsons all across the line especially if right tackle Evan Neal is once again unable to play due to a knee injury. The Giants know Parsons can wreck their entire offensive gameplan, and they know it’s imperative that he not get to Daniel Jones.
It will be a tall task the way Parsons is playing but look for the New York Giants to hold the second-year pass rusher without a sack on Thursday.
The New York Giants will beat the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday
It would seem inconceivable to think the New York Giants could win this game with all the injuries they sustained and how they looked against the Lions. But Brian Daboll’s team has shown they’re a resilient team and are prepared for any and all situations.
As we mentioned before anything can happen in a divisional game and often these games come down to the wire. The Giants will need to force some turnovers and have a few breaks go in their favor, but when it’s all said and done, they’ll win their first game in Dallas since 2016.