Sunday night is going to be a fantastic battle between the NY Giants and Dallas Cowboys. These two NFC East rivals don't like one another and the stands are going to be packed at MetLife Stadium for what should be a close game.
Last season, quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys defeated the G-Men in their two meetings, as has been the case in recent years. Prescott has defeated the Giants in each of the last 10 games he’s faced off against them. The Cowboys have surrounded Prescott with several players who can cause problems for Big Blue.
It’s been 2,460 days since the #NYGiants have beaten the #DallasCowboys with Dak Prescott at QB.
— Ernie (@es3_09) September 6, 2023
The last time the Cowboys opened the season against the Giants was in 2019. Dak went for 405 passing yards and 4 passing TD’s. pic.twitter.com/JFN1Uw1rtk
With that said, here are four Cowboys playmakers the NY Giants defense has to focus on if they want to snap their losing streak against Prescott:
4. Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson
Prescott has targeted the tight end position at a high rate throughout his career and Jake Ferguson enters Week 1 as the Cowboys’ unquestioned starting TE. Prescott recently helped turn former Cowboy Dalton Schultz into a stud, helping him land a big-time payday from the Houston Texans this offseason.
Schultz averaged over 5.5 targets per game over the past three seasons once he became the team’s starter. That is a sizeable vacated target share that Ferguson is going to absorb and the G-Men struggled defending opposing tight ends last season. Per The Football Database, Big Blue allowed 5.2 receptions and 55.2 receiving yards per game to opposing TEs in 2022.
The Giants bolstered the middle of their defensive unit by signing newly-named team captain Bobby Okereke this offseason, who should help them fare better against tight ends in 2023. With the Cowboys having several other playmakers that need to be focused on, the Giants cannot lose sight of Ferguson. He has the potential to be a standout for the Dallas offense in '23.