The Dallas Cowboys Are Drowning out the Noise as the Giants Come to Town
The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of improving to do. They know that and they don’t need anyone else telling them. The winless New York Giants come to town Sunday and this could be a make or break game for head coach Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys. A win gets them to 2-3 in the worst division in football. A loss to the lowly Giants might signal a change is desperately needed. In any case, the Cowboys are remaining focused on the game ad nothing else.
The Dallas Cowboys have been inept defensively
It would be an understatement to say the Dallas Cowboys defense is struggling. The Cowboys have been embarrassingly awful on the defensive side of the ball, putting pressure on quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott is putting up record-setting numbers only because he is forced to as the Cowboys have had to play from behind each game.
If not for a miraculous onside kick executed perfectly by kicker Greg Zuerlein, the Cowboys would be 0-4. This was supposed to be the year of change for the Cowboys. Gone were the days of mediocrity under former head coach Jason Garrett. Under Garrett, the Cowboys had just one losing season in 10 years but finished 8-8 in four of those seasons.
Mike McCarthy was hired to send a jolt into the Cowboys. His defense has been atrocious, allowing 42 points per game during their last three contests. Last week, the Cowboys gave up 49 points in a loss to the Cleveland Browns.
The Cowboys desperately need a win over the winless Giants
A win this week will take some of the heat off head coach Mike McCarthy and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Giants are coming to Dallas struggling just as much as the Cowboys. Like Dallas, the Giants have a new coach in Joe Judge this season. Judge and the Giants suffered a tremendous blow during Week 2 when running back Saquon Barkley tore his ACL and is out for the season.
Barkley’s absence has put a lot of pressure on second-year quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones has been forced to become the offensive leader of the team with just 17 NFL games under his belt. The Giants are 0-4 this season and have struggled mightily to put up points. They haven’t scored 10 points in each of their last two games.
A win over the Giants could put the Cowboys in first place in the division with a 2-3 mark. It could be a sign of a turnaround after a woeful start. The Giants’ offense could be just what the Cowboys’ defense needs. For the Cowboys’ sake, let’s hope it’s not the other way around.
The Cowboys don’t hear the outside noise
The Dallas Cowboys know what’s on the line this week. Sunday’s game should be a barometer showing whether the Cowboys are contenders or pretenders for the 2020 season. Linebacker Joe Thomas said the defensive issues stem from communication, not a lack of talent or effort. Thomas said outside criticism will fall on deaf ears.
“That (criticism) is outside-the-building noise. It doesn’t really affect us inside the building,” Thomas said, according to ESPN. “If there was an effort issue, it would’ve been addressed inside the building. I don’t think that was an issue at all. It’s just communication. When we’re all on the same page and we know what’s going on, we play faster and it looks a lot better.”
More noise that the Cowboys will have to try and tune out will be the return of former Dallas head coach Jason Garrett. Garrett is the offensive coordinator of the Giants. For now, the Dallas Cowboys are simply focused on getting back into the win column and nothing else.
