With Dallas reeling, Giants given golden chance
EAST RUTHERFORD – Perhaps the Giants expected to be in this position.
Their record stands at 4-2 and most observers felt that they had the potential to be exactly that.
I predicted 5-1, and if it were not for some ill-timed turnovers and penalties in that loss at home to Tennessee, they would have the best record in the NFC.
What no one could expect was to see the Dallas Cowboys where they stand right now, at 1-4 and seeing their season quickly slipping away.
Enter Monday night.
All of a sudden, what would have been a normal edition of this hyped matchup now has significant ramifications for each side.
For the Giants, this game presents an enormously opportunity. With a three game winning streak and playing in front of a national audience, they have a chance to become a serious NFC contender in the minds of many by going to down to Cowboys Stadium and getting a win.
For the Cowboys, the math has become very simple. Lose this game, and not only will they fall to 1-5, but they will be 3 1/2 games behind the Giants in the NFC East. With tough divisional games to follow including several treacherous road games, their season will likely be over.
A win however gives the Cowboys life. They would pull to within 1 1/2 of the Giants, and with Jacksonville the following week at home. Dallas can crawl to within one game of the division with nine games to play.
Not a bad position to be in, now is it?
Since 1990, 70 NFL teams have begun their season 1-5. Not one has ever made the playoffs.
This is what sits in front of both teams.
The Cowboys have found ways throughout their four losses to self-destruct. Statistically speaking, their record should be better than 1-4.
However, the game is not played on a stat sheet.
They rank in the top five in both offense and defense, but rank only 17th in points. The combination of penalties, poor decisions and turnovers has caused breakdowns on both sides of the ball leading the Cowboys to their own mutilation.
Dallas’ inability to sustain a running game has put the game in the hands of Tony Romo. No offense to Romo, but he is no Peyton Manning or Tom Brady where you can give him the ball over 41 times a game and not think he is not going to turn the ball over several times.
Poor pass protection due to a porous offensive line has Romo scramble for his life at times and under duress, sacks and interceptions have followed. Blame Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett for either not believing they can run the ball or putting too much faith in Romo to bail out the offense with the right arm when even he has his own limitations.
This then brings Head Coach Wade Phillips squarely into the fire. His team has come under fire for being undisciplined and suffering from a severe lack of intelligence with each game that falls squarely on his shoulders.
There is no doubting their talent. Arguably, they have the most in the league. Right now, they are severely underperforming and running out of time to turn around their season.
The Giants are the team that potentially ends their season before Halloween.
It is an opportunity they cannot allow to slip through their fingers. They never thought they would be in this situation where they were 1-2 after losing to Tennessee at home and questions were abound as to whether Head Coach Tom Coughlin had lost control of his team.
Those questions don’t exist now after three straight wins and a chance this week to stamp themselves as an improbable NFC contender.
To do it against the Cowboys in Dallas would make it that much sweeter.
EAST RUTHERFORD – Perhaps the Giants expected to be in this position.
Their record stands at 4-2 and most observers felt that they had the potential to be exactly that.
I predicted 5-1, and if it were not for some ill-timed turnovers and penalties in that loss at home to Tennessee, they would have the best record in the NFC.
What no one could expect was to see the Dallas Cowboys where they stand right now, at 1-4 and seeing their season quickly slipping away.
Enter Monday night.
All of a sudden, what would have been a normal edition of this hyped matchup now has significant ramifications for each side.
For the Giants, this game presents an enormously opportunity. With a three game winning streak and playing in front of a national audience, they have a chance to become a serious NFC contender in the minds of many by going to down to Cowboys Stadium and getting a win.
For the Cowboys, the math has become very simple. Lose this game, and not only will they fall to 1-5, but they will be 3 1/2 games behind the Giants in the NFC East. With tough divisional games to follow including several treacherous road games, their season will likely be over.
A win however gives the Cowboys life. They would pull to within 1 1/2 of the Giants, and with Jacksonville the following week at home. Dallas can crawl to within one game of the division with nine games to play.
Not a bad position to be in, now is it?
Since 1990, 70 NFL teams have begun their season 1-5. Not one has ever made the playoffs.
This is what sits in front of both teams.
The Cowboys have found ways throughout their four losses to self-destruct. Statistically speaking, their record should be better than 1-4.
However, the game is not played on a stat sheet.
They rank in the top five in both offense and defense, but rank only 17th in points. The combination of penalties, poor decisions and turnovers has caused breakdowns on both sides of the ball leading the Cowboys to their own mutilation.
Dallas’ inability to sustain a running game has put the game in the hands of Tony Romo. No offense to Romo, but he is no Peyton Manning or Tom Brady where you can give him the ball over 41 times a game and not think he is not going to turn the ball over several times.
Poor pass protection due to a porous offensive line has Romo scramble for his life at times and under duress, sacks and interceptions have followed. Blame Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett for either not believing they can run the ball or putting too much faith in Romo to bail out the offense with the right arm when even he has his own limitations.
This then brings Head Coach Wade Phillips squarely into the fire. His team has come under fire for being undisciplined and suffering from a severe lack of intelligence with each game that falls squarely on his shoulders.
There is no doubting their talent. Arguably, they have the most in the league. Right now, they are severely underperforming and running out of time to turn around their season.
The Giants are the team that potentially ends their season before Halloween.
It is an opportunity they cannot allow to slip through their fingers. They never thought they would be in this situation where they were 1-2 after losing to Tennessee at home and questions were abound as to whether Head Coach Tom Coughlin had lost control of his team.
Those questions don’t exist now after three straight wins and a chance this week to stamp themselves as an improbable NFC contender.
To do it against the Cowboys in Dallas would make it that much sweeter.
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