The New York Giants head to Arlington to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in their second of three straight road games.
The first road game essentially derailed the remainder of the Giants’ season when Daniel Jones went down with a torn ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Still, all is not lost. The Giants still want to avenge their 40-0 loss to the Cowboys that opened the season on a foul note. And just because undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito is the starting quarterback doesn’t mean the offense is doomed. The outlook may be grim, but not impossible.
Here are six keys to victory in Week 10.
Keep DeVito's head intact
This has been a key to every game all season. Protect the quarterback. The Giants are on their third quarterback this year after losing their top two to injuries, and they may use a fourth if Matt Barkley proves to be useful. But it doesn’t matter who’s throwing the ball if there’s no protection.
The offensive line is about as healthy as it’s going to get this season (outside of Evan Neal), so it’s time to lock it down.
Let DeVito throw
Tommy DeVito is an undrafted rookie who began his college career at Syracuse and finished it at Illinois. But now he’s a quarterback in the NFL and it’s time for the coaching staff to see what he can do. Handing the ball off or throwing quick laterals and slot passes is only part of the game.
DeVito has attempted 27 passes in two games. In contrast, Jones threw 65 passes over his first two games. Tough to fully compare since DeVito has only played partial games, but it’s still telling. The offense can’t be one-dimensional. Throw the ball.
No turnovers!
When the Giants and Cowboys met in Week 1, the Giants had five fumbles (one lost) and threw two interceptions. And there was the blocked field goal for a touchdown, too.
The Giants cannot afford to let that happen again. Ball carriers must hang onto the rock. Receivers must make catches. DeVito must throw smart passes. No turnovers.
Special teams efficiency
Special teams has to be on point on Sunday. The line has to be ready to block and protect the kicker or punter when the Giants are kicking. Whomever returns kicks and punts must secure the ball or ensure it remains untouched.
There can be no penalties on special teams, especially those of the 15-yard variety. Special teams can make or break any game, and right now the Giants need them to make it.
Stop Dallas on third down
The Cowboys are fifth in the NFL for number of third down conversions made. Out of 113 attempted third down conversions, they have made 53, or just over 46% of their attempts. That lines up directly with what they did to the Giants in the first outing, making six of 13 attempted third-down conversions.
On average, the Giants only allow third down conversions around 33% of the time, which is not terrible. But Dallas did get over on them last time, so this has to be a point of focus for the defense this week.
Glue a defender to CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee Lamb is Dak Prescott’s favorite target, and he ranks fifth in the NFL for receiving yards with 824. This is, by far, the key to the Cowboys’ offense as the next person behind Lamb is tight end Jake Ferguson with 328 receiving yards.
Force Prescott to find a different target. One player on the defense should be glued to Lamb at all times. Disrupting this connection will disrupt the Cowboys’ offense and give the Giants a fighting chance at victory.
