Cowboys vs Giants preview: Fast facts about the Week 12 game

As the Cowboys prepare to host the Giants on Thanksgiving Day, gobble down some fast facts about the game.

It’s been a long time since the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants met on Thanksgiving Day. It was all the way back in 1992 when the Cowboys beat the Giants 30-3. A score like that would allow the Cowboys to cover the spread this year that has ballooned to Dallas being 10-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Cowboys and Giants have a long history together. They have played 120 regular-season games and the Cowboys lead that series 72-46-2. They have only met once in the playoffs, with the Giants pulling off a 21-17 win over the top-seed Cowboys in the 2007 season’s playoffs.

Dallas is currently on a hot streak in the series by winning 10 of the last 11 games. Dallas already beat the Giants earlies this season in Week 3, with Cooper Rush as the quarterback in a 23-16 victory. That win gives the Cowboys a slight lead over New York in the NFC East standings even though they are both 7-3 because of the tie-breaker. A win on Thanksgiving this year would assure the Cowboys of the tie-breaker versus the Giants.

If New York wants to win this game, they need to start fast and not fall behind. The Giants rely on Saquon Barkley for much of their offense but if they fall behind they may have to abandon the run, much like Minnesota last week. That would be bad news for Daniel Jones as the Cowboys lead the league with 42 sacks on the year, while Jones is the third-most sacked QB in 2022 with 30. That would be a devastating combination for the Giants offense.

The problem with getting a fast start for New York is the Cowboys defense. They haven’t allowed a first quarter touchdown all year, and have only given up 18 points in the first quarter, tops in the NFL.

Meanwhile, if the Cowboys want to start fast, they should turn to their running game. Last week Tony Pollard had his fourth straight game of over 100 yards for scrimmage. In Week 3, Ezekiel Elliott had one of his better games by putting up 73 yards (4.87 YPC) and a score on the ground against the Giants. Over his career, Elliott has played the Giants 11 times and has 900 yards and nine touchdowns.

Other Cowboys who like to see the Giants include Trevon Diggs who has 17 tackles, 10 passes defensed and three interceptions in only five games versus New York. DeMarcus Lawrence has ten sacks in 14 games versus the Giants, including a three-sack game earlier this year. Dak Prescott is 9-2 as a starter versus New York. He has a 63.7 completion percentage and has thrown 21 TD passes versus only five interceptions.

And if you’re wondering why the Cowboys are always playing on Thanksgiving Day, here is an except form the Cowboys press guide:

The Cowboys took a chance in 1966 as one of the newer teams in the NFL and volunteered to host a game on Thanksgiving Day. In front of a record crowd of 80,259 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns 26- 14. Since then, the Cowboys have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year except for 1975 and 1977, when the NFL allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to host games. In 1978 the game returned to Dallas on an annual basis. The Cowboys have a 31-22-1 record on Thanksgiving Day, including a six-game win streak from 1980-85.