Will host New York Giants Sunday
The Dallas Cowboys enter Week 5 of the NFL regular season on a roll, currently riding a threegame winning streak. After wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, the Cowboys will look to add the New York Giants to their list Sunday.
Dallas comes in to this week’s game as one of the bigger favorites in the league for Week 5. As seven-point favorites agains their divisional foe, only three teams in the league are a bigger favorite in their matchup this week.
Despite their 1-3 record, the Giants actually enter this week with some momentum, coming off their first win of the year. Last week New York was on the road, where they pulled out a 27-21 win over the New Orleans Saints in overtime. Superstar running back Saquon Barkley found the end zone with 4:54 left in overtime to give them their first and only win so far the year.
For the Cowboys, they have gotten off to about as strong of a start as they could this year. After losing a close game on the road to the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas has continued to play really strong football over the first month of the season.
In Week 2 the Cowboys beat a probable playoff opponent on the road in the Los Angeles Chargers. In Week 3 they won in a blowout over their rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Dallas had another tough matchup in Week 4 agains the undefeated Carolina Panthers. Thanks to a third quarter in which they outscored the Panthers 20- 0, Dallas cruised to a 36-28 win, giving Carolina their first loss of the year.
Over the course of the last two weeks the Cowboys have had a similar recipe for success, and they will look to replicate that Sunday. In their past two wins Dallas has been able to control the tempo of the game, mixing up their offensive attack while also forcing turnovers on defense.
Cornerback Trevon Diggs has been a standout on the Cowboys defense, forcing a league-high five interceptions. Only two other players in the league have as many as three interceptions, as the young corner seems to be making plays every time the Cowboys need him to.
Another standout on the defense is rookie linebacker Micah Parsons, who leads the team with 2.5 sacks. Parsons also had three tackles for loss, as well as consistently putting pressure on opposing teams quarterbacks.
The young duo have played a huge role in the defensive success for the Cowboys, which has in turn helped them on the offensive side of the play. Over the course of their threegame wining streak Dallas has had a very balanced approach offensively, and will likely continue to do so.
Quarterback Dak Prescott has done an excellent job in his return this yer, completing 75% of his passes so far. The offensive leader has thrown 10 touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions, as the Cowboys have won the turnover battle by a solid margin so far this year.
A large part of the balanced offensive approach this season has come on the strength of the run game. Running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard have done an excellent job feeding off one another and have been reliable and consistent.
Elliott is the leading rusher for Dallas, picking up 342 yards and four touchdowns so far. Behind him is Pollard who is averaging just under seven yards per carry this year. While his 37 carries doesn’t qualify him as a league leader, his 6.8 yards per attempt is the best in the league at the moment.
Another win this week for Dallas would be huge, as it would push their record to 4-1 to open the year. After three consecutive home games, the Cowboys will hit the road next week to face the New England Patriots, playing their first road game in just under a month.
Kickoff for Sunday’s match is set for 3:25 p.m. and will air on Fox. Coverage of the game will be published in Wednesday’s edition of the News-Telegram.