The Cowboys and Giants enter Sunday's Week 2 matchup in similar positions.
Both of them lost to a favored division rival on the road. Both of them certainly want to avoid an 0-2 start with two losses in the NFC East.
The Cowboys have had recent success over the Giants, who haven't won in Dallas since 2016 but this will be the first home game for Brian Schottenheimer as the Cowboys kick off at Noon (CDT) at AT&T Stadium.
Here are the 10 big storylines for the week, with five each for the Giants and Cowboys.
Giants
Rough Start - The Giants are 0-1 after a 21-6 loss to the Commanders last Sunday. In a low-scoring affair that was a one-score game heading into the fourth quarter, the Giants just couldn't generate enough offensive firepower and couldn't match that with defensive stops. Overall, it wasn't an embarrassing loss to a Washington team that made it to the NFC Championship Game, but certainly wasn't good enough, creating many more question for Brian Daboll and his team heading into Week 2.
Sticking with Russ - After completing just 17 of 37 passes for 168 yards in the Week 1 loss to the Commanders, Russell Wilson was named the starter yet again this week against the Cowboys. Daboll wasn't 100 percent committal of Wilson playing when asked after the game in Washington but came back earlier this week and decided to stick with Russell. However, it sounds as if rookie Jaxson Dart, a first-round pick from Ole Miss, might have a chance to play. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said his staff is preparing to see Dart, even if it's for a few packages.
Empty Trips - The Giants had trouble scoring points last week against Washington, failing to score a touchdown in the 21-6 loss. But at least, New York was able to move the ball. The Giants had two trips inside the 5-yard line that resulted in turnover on downs. So goal-line offense against the Cowboys this week should be a high priority. The Giants rushed for just 74 yards total last week, and 44 of those yards were by Wilson.
Up Front - The Giants have some names you know on the defensive line 鈥 some of which aren't even in the starting lineup. But from pass-rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux to Brian Burns on the edge, to All-Pro Dexter Lawrence in the middle, the Giants' line is stacked to the point that former Cowboys defensive lineman Chuancey Golston and No. 2 overall pick Abdul Carter are currently on the second team. But expect a healthy rotation of rushers against the Cowboys on Sunday. Last week against Washington, Burns had two sacks and Carter and Thibodeaux shared another.
It's Been a (NY) Minute: The Giants haven't won a game in Dallas since Dak Prescott's NFL debut back in Week 1 of the 2016 season. In fact, those two wins over Prescott during his rookie year are the only two the Giants have in Dak's career. Even when he's not in the lineup, it hasn't gone too week for the Giants, who have only won one game against the Cowboys in the last 16 meetings. The lone win in that span was the 2020 season finale when the Giants defeated Andy Dalton and the Cowboys.
Cowboys
Glass Half-Full - One of the first things Brian Schottenheimer said in the post-game press conference following his team's 24-20 loss to the Eagles in his head coaching debut was, "there's no moral victories here." While that might be the case, there is a sense of optimism around the Cowboys as they prepare for a Week 2 matchup with the Giants. Having a chance to beat the Eagles on the road was at least a step in the right direction. The Cowboys had lost to the Eagles by a combined 75-13 in two games last year. So the four-point loss, knowing the Cowboys let a few plays slip away, gives them some confidence.
Dak Support - On Tuesday, owner/GM Jerry Jones said Dak Prescott's performance in Philadelphia was one of the best games he's seen from his quarterback, despite not getting the win. Prescott was on point with several throws and had a chance to drive the offense into scoring position, but got some untimely drops from CeeDee Lamb, especially on the last possession. Overall, Prescott was in command of the offense and should be poised to continue his streak of dominance over the Giants, which stems back to his rookie season.
Playing Catch-Up - Thursday night, CeeDee Lamb uncharacteristically dropped three, arguably four passes, in a game in which the Cowboys were fighting to take the lead over the defending champs. Later that night, which was into the hours of Friday morning at that time, Lamb took full responsibility for the plays and put the loss on his shoulders. Later that day, back at The Star on an empty practice field, Lamb was seen catching passes on the JUGS machine for nearly an hour. Catching passes hasn't been a problem for Lamb and he seems overly committing to turning that narrative around come Sunday.
What's the Rush? - A full NFL week has now come and gone with Micah Parsons no longer on the Cowboys roster and a member of the Packers. So far, Green Bay has seen the early rewards as Parsons got a sack in his Packers debut and his team dominated the Lions' offense. The Cowboys struggled early in the game to generate pressure against the Eagles, but ended up getting home more in the second half. The Cowboys produced over 40 percent pass-rush success, one of the top five percentages in the NFL last week. Leading the charge was Sam Williams, who had a team-high five pressures as Dante Fowler and Osa Odighizuwa each had four.
No Limits - One of the biggest success stories of the game for the Cowboys was the return of cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was on a pitch-count last week against the Eagles, returning from a knee injury. Diggs is expected to be at full strength against the Giants, forming quite the CB trio with DaRon Bland and Kaiir Elam.
