The Cowboys hold off the NFC East rival Giants on defense

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Heading into Thursday night’s game, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys shared last place in the NFC East at 1-2, one game behind the 2-1 Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the first half and limited the Giants to three field goals to lead 14-9 at halftime. As the game progressed, it was a defensive battle as neither team managed a touchdown in the second half.

Dallas picked up its second win of the season with a final score of 20-15, but star edge rusher Micah Parsons was carted off the field late in the game to undergo an X-ray.

Here are the key things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott did not speak to the media before Thursday’s game against the New York Giants. He said he would speak “after the win.” The Cowboys got the win, but it wasn’t artistic beauty. However, after the Cowboys suffered two home losses against the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens, all that mattered was one win in a short week.

Being 2-2 is so much better than 1-3. Had the Cowboys lost, it would have been the first time since 2001 that they had lost three September games and they would have been in last place in the NFC East.

Prescott was sharp, especially in the first half with touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb (55 yards) and Rico Dowdle (15 yards). The defense eventually stopped the run and stiffened in the red zone, holding the Giants to five field goals.

Prescott has now won 13 straight against the Giants. His last loss came as a rookie in 2016. He tied the second-longest winning streak by a quarterback against a single opponent since quarterback statistics were first recorded in 1950. Tom Brady defeated the Buffalo Bills 13 straight times from 2003 to 2010, and Steve Young defeated the Rams 13 times from 1987 to 1998 in a row. He’ll get a chance at No. 14 on Thanksgiving.

Promising trend: When Lamb has a few side issues, the best seems to come out of him. In last year’s loss at San Francisco, Lamb held back on the sidelines and then had six games with at least 11 catches and seven games with more than 100 yards. In last week’s loss to New Orleans, Lamb had an argument with Prescott and did not speak to the media after the game. On Tuesday, Lamb apologized and said he was getting better. In the first half alone, he had six catches for 94 yards (both season highs) and a touchdown.

Amazing statistics: Brandon Aubrey played 21 games for the Cowboys. He has three 60-yard field goals in his career, including a 60-yarder in the third quarter against the Giants. That’s another NFL record held by Brett Maher, who set four times in two different stints with the Cowboys. Aubrey hit a 60-yarder against the Ravens last week. He is 2-for-2 from 60 yards this season. According to ESPN Research, the rest of the league is 0-2.

Silver linings: The Cowboys have 10 days to prepare for the currently undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. Time will help, because even with the win there is still a lot to correct. In the last three games, opposing quarterbacks have missed just 19 passes. This was understandable against the Saints and Ravens, as both teams were so dominant on the run. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones had too much time to throw most of the game after being tormented earlier by the Cowboys, who sacked him 24 times in eight games before Thursday. Oh, and they were penalized nine times in the first half alone. —Todd Archer

Next game: at the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 6)

New York Giants

The Giants came close against the Cowboys, but still couldn’t secure a win. After last season, in which the Giants scored 89-17 in their two meetings with the Cowboys, that has to be seen as progress, right?

Sure there are no moral victories in the NFL, but this was the Giants’ (1-3) third straight after an ugly start.

The gap between the division rivals has at least partially narrowed. Dallas still owns the Giants. It has won 14 of the last 15 meetings and Prescott has beaten it 13 times in a row. New York isn’t quite there yet, but it’s shown to be at least improving.

QB breakdown: Jones was efficient, completing 29 of 40 passes (73% completion) for 281 yards with an interception on a Hail Mary in the final seconds. But the Giants were kept out of the end zone and Jones missed most of his deep throws. This is especially notable considering this was an issue early in training camp. There was a lot of good for Jones, but it wasn’t quite enough. Jones has clearly played better since the start. Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers (12 catches for 115 yards) certainly helps.

Amazing statistics: Nabers is constantly adding to his records. He became the first player in NFL history with at least 25 receptions and three touchdowns in his first four career games when he caught a 3-yard pass early in the second quarter.

Worrying trend: According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Giants top cornerback Deonte Banks was already the closest defensive back with four touchdown passes this season. Banks was beaten again Thursday night, this time by Lamb on a 55-yard score in the second quarter. The Giants were hoping Banks would take over the CB1 role this season. Instead, it’s been a struggle so far.

Biggest gap in the game plan: The Giants couldn’t get anything going in the run game against the worst run defense in the league. Dallas entered the contest allowing 185.7 yards on the ground per contest. The Giants went into the game believing they would succeed, but had just 29 yards rushing in the first half – and they ended up with 26 yards on 24 carries. —Jordan Raanan

Next game: at the Seattle Seahawks (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 6)