The (2-7) New York Giants will travel to Texas to take on the (5-3) Dallas Cowboys this Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Dallas has won the last five meetings in this rivalry, including a 40-0 dismantling in Week 1 of this season. Sunday’s matchup could be more lopsided than the season opener, considering the Giants will be starting their third-string quarterback in rookie Tommy DeVito, who will be making his first NFL start.
No one is giving New York a chance to be competitive, let alone win this game, which is why they’re 17 ½ point underdogs.
Despite the lack of intrigue surrounding this game, anything can happen when division rivals play one another. Here are four bold predictions for Sunday’s game.
Related: Week 10 NFL power rankings: Ravens create distance at No. 1, Falcons and Bills drop after Week 9
Dak Prescott will throw for four touchdowns
After a slow start to the season, Dak Prescott has come on strong in the last three games, passing for 950 yards with eight touchdowns to just one interception. Last week against the Eagles, he completed 29-of-44 passes for a season-high 374 yards with three touchdowns and nearly pulled off a come-from-behind victory in the final seconds.
This week, he’ll face the Giants 11th ranked pass defense (211.2 yards per game) that has only allowed nine touchdowns through the air all season. However, Big Blue will once again be without cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (neck) which will make it challenging for the secondary to contain CeeDee Lamb and the rest of Cowboys pass catchers.
Look for Prescott to have another big game, passing for four touchdowns.
Related: See where Dak Prescott and Tommy DeVito land in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings
Saquon Barkley will rush for 150 yards
With the team down to their third-string quarterback and tight end Darren Waller on IR due to a hamstring injury, New York will have to rely on Saquon Barkley in order to generate any offense.
In the last two games, he’s carried the ball 52 times for 218 yards. Barkley was limited to just 12 carries for 51 yards along with three receptions for 12 yards in Week 1, but will have a much heavier workload on Sunday.
At times this season, Dallas has been vulnerable stopping the run as they allowed the Cardinals to rush for 222 yards in Week 3 and the 49ers to rush for 170 yards in Week 5. Despite the Cowboys’ defense focusing in on him, Barkley, New York will keep giving him the ball, and he will have a season-high 150 yards on the ground.
Related: How does the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants offense stack up to the rest of the NFL?
Tony Pollard will score his first touchdown since Week 1
In his first season as the lead back, Pollard is having an up-and-down year. He’s had five games in which he’s averaged at least 4.3 yards per carry but has three in which he’s averaged under 3.7 yards per carry.
For the year, he’s carried the ball 120 times for 474 yards with two touchdowns. His two touchdowns came in Week 1 as the 26-year-old running back has failed to find the end zone since then.
In their 30-6 loss last week to the Las Vegas Raiders, New York allowed three rushing touchdowns as the run defense showed vulnerability with the loss of Leonard Williams, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Look for Pollard to end his touchdown drought on Sunday.
Related: Week 10 fantasy rankings: Best, QB, RB, WR and TEs to start, sit
New York will hold Micah Parsons sack-less
The Giants’ offensive line has been horrendous this season, allowing 50 sacks, including seven in their first matchup with Dallas. Micah Parsons is once again having a phenomenal season as he leads the team with 7.5 sacks and sacked Daniel Jones once in Week 1.
The Giants finally got their best player Andrew Thomas back last week, who hadn’t played since the season opener due to a hamstring injury. Thomas will be able to handle his own when Parsons is lined up across from him, and New York will likely double-team Parsons when he’s lined up on the other side. As a result, New York will hold the elite pass rusher sack-less on Sunday.
Prediction: It will be another long day for Big Blue.