Monday Night Football Preview: Can the Giants Upset the Cowboys?

This week's edition of Monday Night Football features the 4-3 Dallas Cowboys traveling to face the 2-6 New York Giants. In a key NFC East showdown, both teams will look to gain some ground within the division here.

Fresh off a bye, the Cowboys fell to the New York Jets 24-22 in their last game action. On the other side, the Giants also suffered a loss to the Detroit Lions last week. With both teams eager for a win, here are a few key matchups in tonight's game.

Quarterback Breakdown

For the Cowboys, Dak Prescott will look to continue his stellar start to the season. Averaging 245 passing yards per game, Prescott is currently completing 70.6 percent of his passes. Positively for Prescott, the Giants rank 25th in overall pass defense, according to our schedule-adjusted metrics. With solid efficiency stats and a positive matchup, Prescott and the Cowboys look like bounce-back candidates here.

On the other side, the Giants continue to ride the ups and downs of rookie Daniel Jones. After passing for 336 and 2 scores in his first start, Jones has mostly disappointed. On the year, Jones has completed just 62.5-percent of his passes with a 10 to 7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, the Cowboys defense ranks 24th against the pass, potentially giving Jones an opportunity to succeed here.

Running Back Breakdown

Two of the best backfields in the league, the Cowboys use Ezekiel Elliott as their work-horse. Elliott averages 80-percent of the Cowboys snaps, after starting the year slow following an offseason holdout. On this play volume, Elliott averages 20.3 carries per game, which ranks third in the NFL. With four games over 100 yards rushing, Elliott looks more than capable of taking care of the Giants' tenth-ranked run defense. One variable that could limit Elliott is Leonard Williams, who the Giants acquired at the trade deadline.

For the Giants, Saquon Barkley continues to play through a high ankle sprain. In two games since his return, opposing defenses have limited Barkley to 72 yards or fewer. However, one of the best receiving backs in the league, Barkley notched 79 receiving yards last week and continues to provide one of the highest floors at the position. Positively for Barkley, the Cowboys rank 18th against the run.

Defensive Matchup

Looking at the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys rank 20th overall and the Giants rank 24th, according to our schedule-adjusted metrics.

The Cowboys rank 24th against the pass and 18th against the run, while the Giants rank 25th against the pass and tenth against the run.

Historical Comparison