The New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys is the marquee matchup of the NFL’s final regular season week. Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo will play, but his health is a big question.
The Giants are 3-point favorites at MetLife Stadium with a total of 46 points. This game has been flexed by NBC to 8:20 p.m. (ET), much to the dismay of FOX, who originally had the broadcast.
The loser is out of the playoffs and making golf plans. Five of the six playoff spots in the NFC are set, although there is a fight for playoff positioning. The AFC has two division titles up for grabs and a wild card.
Romo injured his passing hand on the first series of last game, a 20-7 home loss to Philadelphia as 1-point favorites. That game was mostly meaningless (and played like it) after the Giants beat the Jets earlier in the day.
The latest news on Romo is he practiced Wednesday wearing a glove, but doesn’t plan on using it during the game. The swelling is also down and he’s been upgraded to probable. Starting left guard Montrae Holland is less fortunate, out for the season with a biceps injury.
The Cowboys (8-7 straight up, 5-9-1 against the spread) have dropped three of their last four games. That includes a stunning 37-34 home loss to the Giants on December 11 after leading 34-22 with under six minutes left. A win would have given them a commanding 2-game lead in the division with three to play.
Dallas needs to wipe that out from its memory and concentrate what it does best. Romo has a plethora of targets in receivers Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson, plus tight end Jason Witten. He threw for 321 yards, four TDs and no picks in the first Giants game, so he is capable of a big outing if his hand isn’t bothering him.
Felix Jones had 106 yards rushing in the first meeting after DeMarco Murray (ankle) got hurt in that game and lost for the year. Jones (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday’s practice, but isn’t listed on the Don Best injury report.
Dallas is just 2-7 ATS in its last nine games. The ‘under’ is 4-1 in its last five and also 4-1 in the last five away.
The Giants (8-7 SU, 7-7-1 ATS) are coming off a huge 29-14 win over the Jets in the ‘battle of New York.’ There was a lot of emotion and trash talk before and after that game, and they need to make sure there is no letdown. That shouldn’t be an issue with so much at stake.
The Jets contest was technically a road game even though it was played at shared MetLife Stadium. It was good to get a win in those digs after the Giants lost their previous home games to Washington (23-10), Green Bay (38-35) and Philadelphia (17-10), also going 1-4-1 ATS in the last six there.
The Giants have the NFL’s fourth-ranked passing attack (294 YPG). Manning threw for 400 yards in the first Dallas game, but struggled against the Jets at just 33 percent completions (9-of-27). He did have 225 passing yards, but 99 came in one pass to Victor Cruz, which was a very fortunate play.
Manning has been known for his fourth quarter dramatics, but he can’t wait too long to get going. The home fans will get nervous if the Giants fall behind 7-10 points and Dallas is a team that thrives on momentum.
The Giants have two decent complementary backs in Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see both running games struggle. That means it could be a mano-a-mano duel between Manning and Romo, with the winner whoever handles the strong pass rush of the other team. Both teams rank in the top-7 in sacks.
Defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle) has been upgraded to probable which will help the pass rush even more. Receiver Mario Manningham (knee) is also probable after missing last game. The only bad news is tight end Jake Ballard (knee) is now doubtful.
Dallas won the last meeting in New York, 33-20 as 11½-point ‘dogs in November 2010. Romo was out injured and replaced by Jon Kitna. The underdog has won outright to easily cover the spread in each of last five meetings, with the ‘over’ also 5-0.
Sunday night weather should be in the low 30s and windy. That could affect both passing games with the small advantage to the home team.