NFL Week 3 Monday Night Football Pick: A Low-Scoring Game Between Cowboys and Giants

One of the NFL’s oldest rivalries resumes as the 2-0 New York Giants host the 1-1 Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

Dallas was able to bounce back from a Week 1 loss by beating the Cincinnati Bengals as home underdogs on Week 2.

Meanwhile, the Giants have scrapped wins against Tennessee and Carolina and will hope to make it three in a row against their division rivals. 

Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants

Monday, September 26, 2022 – 08:15 PM EDT at MetLife Stadium

Giants Total Team Effort Getting It Done

If you ask Giants fans how they’ve managed to start 2-0, you’d probably get a lot of different answers. Whatever the answer is, it’s the reason they come into this Monday Night Football game as -2.5 point favorites.

The line opened at Giants -3 with action on the Cowboys moving the line down to where it is now.

The defense is certainly doing their part holding opponents to 18 points per game in the first two weeks. That’s the type of defense you need to be successful in this league.

It would also be a bit of an over-exaggeration to say that they’ve been as good as their points against would suggest. The offensive ineptitude of their opponents might have as much to do with the Giants’ success as their defense.

The Issue With the Giants’ Offense

One thing the defense has done well is turn the ball over, which has given this pedestrian offense more opportunities, something they desperately need.

The ugly truth is, the Giants might have the worst offense in the league. I say might because it’s too early in the season to tell, but so far it’s been pretty bad.

The one positive for Giants fans is that their offensive line has probably been the best unit on the team so far, which is the most encouraging sign. Even that has to be taken with a grain of salt though because as good as they’ve looked in pass protection, their run blocking has been terrible.

How Can the Giants Up Their Game?

If the Giants have any hope of doing something this season, they’ll need to fix the running game. On top of having one of the most dynamic running backs in the game in Saquan Barkley, their quarterback needs that protection.

Let’s be clear about one thing: Daniel Jones will not be successful without a decent running game. We’ve seen enough from him to know that he isn’t talented enough to elevate those around him.

He needs help and right now the Giants haven’t surrounded him with enough talent to succeed.

Cowboys Answered Doubters with Upset Win

The Cowboys were +7 last week at home, which is an indication of what exactly oddsmakers thought of their chances of success without Dak Prescott, who injured his thumb in week 1.

It appears Prescott might be back a lot sooner than initially expected with the original diagnosis that he would miss a few months. That seems to have been upgraded to a few weeks, although based on last week’s performance, Cooper Rush might be able to hold down the fort. 

One of the biggest mistakes made by the betting public in the early part of the NFL season is overreacting to what they see. Small sample sizes are always flawed, and as well as Cooper Rush played last week, Dallas still needs Prescott back as soon as possible.

Rush played about as well as you could have expected and the Cowboys still needed a last-second field goal to win at home. 

Cowboys vs. Giants: Our Prediction and Betting Pick

The Giants will have to do a much better job of bringing pressure than Cincinnati did last week. Rush was only sacked once on 31 pass attempts and only hit four times.

If that’s the case again this Sunday, the Giants will be in trouble, because it means that the Cowboys are putting up points. I expect whatever the opposite of a shootout is with the Giants looking to establish the run here. 

I say that because, at the moment, nobody in the NFL can stop Micah Parsons. He is single handily destroying opposition offensive lines wherever he is lined up.

He wrecked the Bengals’ game plan last week and will do the same to the Giants if given the opportunity. I expect both coaches to look to protect their quarterbacks and play conservatively here in a low-scoring game between two mediocre offenses. 

NFL Pick: Under 39 (-110) at BetMGM