In this edition of ‘Chuck’s Corner’, site expert Charles ‘Chuck’ Vitolo gives you his weekly New York Giants prediction as the team hosts Dallas.
It’s important for New York Giants fans to realize that this Monday Night Football matchup with the Dallas Cowboys may be the last game on the schedule that is actually worth getting up for. While the game will likely mean nothing in the way of playoff implications for Big Blue, avoiding dropping a sixth-straight loss to it’s most hated rival could go a long way towards building a positive culture as the team begins to look towards next year.
All eyes will be on rookie quarterback Daniel Jones as he lines up against Dallas for the first time as a starter, as there’s no telling what a home win against the talented Cowboys on Monday Night Football could do for his confidence. Jones will have weapons to work with, as Big Blue heads into this matchup with a healthy squad, outside of wide-receiver Sterling Shepard, who is being shut down for the time being due to concussion concerns.
For Dallas, this game means everything. The prohibitive NFC East pre-season favorites and Super Bowl contenders have gotten off to a sluggish 4-3 start, that saw them overwhelm weak opponents as they raced out to a 3-0 start, only to fall back down to earth as they lost their next three. The Cowboys figure to be flying high after their bye week and dismantling the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football on national television in week seven, though.
With such a difficult schedule on the horizon, there is a legitimate case to be made that the Giants could possibly derail Dallas’ season by pulling off an upset win. Sitting at 4-4, with a murderer’s row of the Vikings, Lions, Patriots, Bills, Bears, Rams and Eagles all in a row could spell disaster for the Cowboys. With little else to play for in 2019, the New York Giants should relish the opportunity to play spoiler.
Dallas comes into the game mostly-healthy as well, as it figures to be at full-strength all around with the bye week coming at the perfect time for them. Slowing down the league’s number one offense in terms of total yards is going to be no easy task for Big Blue, and it’s going to take a clear and concise gameplan to get it done. While the addition of Leonard Williams was a controversial one, there is no doubt that the former 2015 sixth-overall draft pick will only help the Giants’ cause tonight.
Rookie cornerback Deandre Baker figures to be a crucial component in any potential Giants success, as him playing even average defense would give the ‘D’ a huge boost. Janoris Jenkins figures to shadow Amari Cooper, and with the way ‘Jackrabbit’ has been playing as of late (and for the duration of his Giant career), that just might be a win for Big Blue. Safety Jabrill Peppers is extremely motivated heading into this contest, as he has apparently not forgotten about Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense mocking a confused Giants secondary in Week One.
Over the past few years, conventional wisdom has been that shutting down Ezekiel Elliott is by and large the most important factor in beating the Cowboys — that hasn’t been the case of late. Dak Prescott has shown he can by a dynamic quarterback, as ever since Dallas took the leap to acquire Cooper, this offense has displayed a different gear. Effective tackling and communication will have to be at the forefront from the Giants defense is they hope to make this one close.
X-Factor of the Week
I once again nailed by X-Factor last week, as Darius Slayton balled out to the tune of two touchdowns in the loss (also came within three points of calling the final score on the head, NBD) Tonight, I’m going to with with what me a surprise to some (after I made my dislike for the trade known, although that mostly has to do with timing rather than the player) and name Leonard Williams as my guy.
Williams will be issued a tough test in his first game as a member of the Giants, as the Cowboys feature some of the league’s best offensive line play, particularly up the middle. I expect James Bettcher to unleash Williams tonight, as the team is going to want to see what it his quickly in evaluating what type of contract they want to potentially give him.
The thought of Dexter Lawrence and Williams stunting, or moving pre-snap has to be something that puts fear in an offensive lineman. If Bettcher is smart, he’ll mix up where he lines each of them up from play to play, while keeping the offensive line guessing in terms of who they should need to double team. Williams has displayed the ability to be stout in the run game, and I at least expect him to have multiple run stops on Elliott, with an outside shot of him breaking through the wall that is the Dallas line to get to Dak Prescott.
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Prediction
I expect the Giants to play with passion and focus tonight. With the way their season has transpired, this is in essence their Super Bowl. In my mind, this will be a back and forth contest that features a ton of scoring, much like we’ve seen out of these two teams during Eli Manning’s career.
Unfortunately, I believe it’s going to come down to this defense getting a huge stop or two late in the game, and nothing they’ve shown me this year warrants me believing they can get that done. Don’t be surprised to see Big Blue leading this one at the half, or even late in the game. Dallas is not the juggernaut everyone expected to be, and they are especially soft over the deep middle portion of their defense. I expect a few big plays through the air for Daniel Jones and company tonight.
I just don’t think it’ll be enough, as I’m predicting the Giants cover the seven-point number (courtesy of the Action Network), but come up just short of winning this one.
31-28, Cowboys.
YTD Prediction Record: 6-2
YTD ATS Record: 4-4