An Old NFC East Rivalry Returns on Monday Night Football
Posted on: September 26, 2022, 09:17h.
Last updated on: September 26, 2022, 10:11h.
Monday Night Football closes the NFL’s Week 3 with just a single game. It’s a big one, though, as two NFC East teams – the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants – battle for position.
The Cowboys are hitting the road to face their first division rival of the season. After their victory last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cowboys are looking to maintain their winning ways.
It won’t be an easy task. The Cowboys had a decent preseason before starting the regular season with a pummeling at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They now face one of only five remaining teams to have an undefeated record.
Tough Road for the Cowboys
Although we’re still in the first leg of the season, every victory counts. This is especially true in a division where the Cowboys need six wins to secure first place in the NFC East.
The Giants have a perfect record to date, defeating the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers. Neither game was a blowout as they beat the Titans by just one point, and squeaked past the Panthers by three.
This is likely going to be a quarterback battle. Cooper Rush will enter again as a starter for the Cowboys, with Dak Prescott still on the sideline due to injury. The latest info from Dallas has Prescott returning on October 16.
Rush finished 19-of-31 for 235 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals last week. As he finds his rhythm, he could improve tonight.
On the other side, Giants QB Daniel Jones finished 22 of 34 for 176 yards and a touchdown in the Carolina game. In general, he’s been highly successful in the air and has a passer rating of 99.4. Despite this, New York’s true offensive strength is the ground game.
Running back Saquon Barkley had a terrific game in Week 1 against the Titans, rushing 18 times for 164 yards. He added 72 yards on 21 more carries the following week. He will clearly be the primary target of the Cowboy’s defense.
Down to the Wire
There are injuries on both sides of the field that are going to be a problem. As a result, the Cowboys are playing wide receiver Michael Gallup and cornerback Trevon Diggs. Both will be key players for Dallas.
Dallas has a chance tonight so long as Rush stays motivated and the defense remains as intimidating as it has been so far. Oddsmakers, however, are leaning slightly in favor of the Giants.
The Giants are getting -115 to the Cowboys’ -105 on DraftKings and at other books, which means even oddsmakers aren’t sure who will win. The spread is just a point, with a relatively tame over/under of 39 or 39.5 at most books.
The under has hit in the last 15 of 18 games combined for these two. However, when facing each other, the over has been more successful – hitting in five of the last seven matchups.
Rihanna Makes the Super Bowl
In other NFL news, officials announced on Sunday that Rihanna will headline the Super Bowl LVII halftime show next February. The singer and actor rejected a request to appear two years ago, but has reportedly had a change of heart.
Apple Music is taking over as the primary sponsor of the show, replacing Pepsi. It isn’t clear if the tech giant had its hand in getting Jay Z to convince the Fenty Beauty mogul to agree to appear. Other than Rihanna, no additional details about other possible performers have been released.
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Source: casino.org
