Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: 10 thoughts on the 20:15 win

The Dallas Cowboys ended their two-game break with a 20-15 win over the New York Giants on Thursday night. It wasn’t a pretty game as the G-Men stayed close all night, but the Cowboys did just enough to leave Metlife with a win. The offense was mediocre, the defense was mediocre, and even that Brandon Aubrey was mediocre. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ mediocre win over the Giants on Thursday night.

1. End the current game

All eyes were on the Cowboys run defense in this game. After giving up 464 rushing yards in the last two games, the defense gave up one for the ages, or at least the last five years. Against the Giants, the Cowboys only allowed 26 total rushing yards. Devin Singletary had just 24 yards on 14 carries, and they shut down the legs of Daniel Jones and gave up just three yards on four rushing attempts. The Giants averaged just 1.1 yards per carry. In a shocking turn of events, the Cowboys’ defense allowed the fewest rushing yards of the Mike McCarthy era. We didn’t see that coming.

2. Lucky 13

The Cowboys’ success against the run was a group effort. The defenders showed significantly more discipline and stuck to their tasks. They also finished much better. One person who tackled everything was DeMarvion Overshown. After a great NFL debut, Overshown has been quiet the last two games, but he made his presence known in this game. The second-year linebacker failed on Thursday night. He finished the game with nine tackles, six of them solo, and had a nice pass distribution. He was DeMarvion Allovertheplace.

3. Speaking of Lucky 13

The Giants always seem to be there when the Cowboys need a pick-me-up. The Cowboys have won 14 of their last 15 games against the Giants. It’s even more impressive for Dak Prescott. After losing both games against the Giants in his rookie season in 2016, Prescott has now won 13 straight games against the Giants. This is property.

4. Out of the end zone

All things considered, the Cowboys defense did well. They couldn’t put much pressure on Daniel Jones, didn’t commit turnovers and struggled to get stops on third down. And when they were stopped on third down, they couldn’t get off the field on fourth down. The Giants didn’t punt until three minutes left in the third quarter. The Giants managed to move the ball, but they couldn’t find the end zone. All New York had to offer was five field goals from Greg Joseph. The Cowboys defense was the epitome of bend but not break on Thursday night.

5. Corners drop like flies

The team was without All-Pro corner DaRon Bland all season and this week rookie corner Caelen Carson was inactive due to a shoulder injury he suffered in practice last week. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they lost part of the game to Trevon Diggs when he started getting cramps. The team went through their depth, first with Andrew Booth, who had the team on a short leash and was pulled early. He was replaced by Amani Oruwariye. And then when Diggs came out, they had to resort to Israel Mukuamu seeing some action. Things looked bleak there for a while, but I thank the guys in depth for stepping up. Oruwariye, who was called up to the practice squad, made the game-winning interception.

6. Tough night for the All-Pros

Speaking of injuries, DeMarcus Lawrence left the game and went to the locker room with a foot injury. Trevon Diggs went back to the locker room to receive treatment for dehydration. Zack Martin left the game for a few plays to get his eye red. And Micah Parsons walked back to the locker room on a cart with a foot injury. The good news is that Diggs and Martin have returned, but it’s unclear how big the team’s top edge rushers are. Stay tuned.

7. The fumble that didn’t exist

The Cowboys got a pick to put the game on ice, but previously there were no turnovers in this game. However, there were almost a few. The Giants came close to turning the ball over three times. At first, Singletary fumbled the ball but was dismissed by the referees. Mike McCarthy challenged the play, but it was upheld. The Cowboys recovered another fumble and ran down the field, but the play was ruled an incomplete pass. And when the Giants actually fumbled a kickoff return, it bounced right into the arms of another Giants player. The Cowboys came close to making some crucial turnovers, but came away empty-handed most of the night.

8. It’s laundry day!

It’s hard to see this team continually shooting themselves in the foot with stupid penalties. Whether it was on offense or defense, the Cowboys kept piling up the laundry and inflicting penalty after penalty. Tyler Guyton couldn’t stop the pass protector without a hold and the defensive line couldn’t resist jumping offside. Dallas finished the game with 89 penalties, including nine (70 yards) in the first half alone. This is pathetic. We don’t know why this has to be the case, but it’s a problem that has plagued McCarthy’s team for most of his time in Dallas.

9. Aubrey kept things interesting

Brandon Aubrey was automatic this year. He made his first 12 field goals of the season and was right down the middle on almost every play. So, of course, when he missed his first field goal of the year, the Giants had one last chance to win the game. Luckily, it was moot as the Cowboys defense made one final stop.

10. Nabers will be a problem for many years to come

It felt like the Cowboys did a good job stopping Malik Nabers, the Giants’ number one offensive weapon, but the stats tell you otherwise. The rookie receiver finished the game with 12 receptions for 115 yards. Luckily, all of that was lost, but it’s pretty clear he’ll be a thorn in the Cowboys’ side for years to come.