New York offense vs. Dallas defense

	GIANTS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	24
	Pass	10
	Tot. Yds.	17
	Scoring	19
	Int's allowed	19
	Sacks allowed	41
	COWBOYS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	7
	vs. Pass	13
	Total yds. allowed	7
	# of Ints.	23
	# of Sacks	34
	Turnover differential	+9

The inability of a young offensive line to open up holes for the Giant backs, and an inability for the backs to hit the holes with speed has been one of the team's main problems. This problem will be compounded this weekend at Dallas, as the Cowboy front four has improved each week, and New York's rookie RB Joe Montgomery has a rib injury and is questionable for this game. FB Charles Way should see a lot of work against the Cowboys, as coach Jim Fassel will try to run the ball between the tackles to neutralize Dallas' team speed. If starting OC Brian Williams is unable to go again this week, backup Derek Engler will have his work cut out for him against Dallas' talented OT's Leon Lett and Chad Henning. Last week against the Vikings, Engler and the New York interior line, LOG Mike Rosenthal and ROG Ron Stone, was manhandled by the Viking front four. The Giants also have to do a better job of protecting QB Kerry Collins, who is a great pocket passer, but not nearly as effective when forced to throw on the run. Lately, the Giants have been running a lot of two TE sets to give Collins extra protection, when, against Dallas, the team would probably be more effective running some three and four WR sets to take advantage of a thin Dallas secondary.

Last week's loss to the Saints filled Cowboy fans with mixed emotions. On one hand, surrendering 31 points to the Saints is an embarrassment, but on the other hand, RDE Ebenezer Ekuban's 8-tackle 2 + sack performance in the game is cause for optimism for the future of the Cowboy defense. A big problem against the Saints was the play of the team's secondary, which has been devastated by the loss of LDC Kevin Smith and nickel corner Kevin Mathis. RDC Deion Sanders even had a tough week against the Saints, as he bit on a pump fake and was burned for a 50-yard touchdown by Saints' WR Keith Poole. The Cowboys will be facing a team in the Giants that has some talent at the WR position and a QB who can get them the ball. As a result, the Cowboys will look to blitz New York's QB Collins with LB's Dexter Coakley and Randall Godfrey, both of whom are quick coming up the middle or around the corner. By forcing Collins to throw on the run and get rid of the ball quickly, Dallas will protect the team's less experienced corners Charlie Williams and Duane Hawthorne. Dallas should blitz a lot early, as New York's offensive line is young and has been having a difficult time checking off at the line of scrimmage as of late.

Dallas offense vs. New York defense

	COWBOYS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	7
	Pass	25
	Tot. Yds.	20
	Scoring	11
	Int's allowed	13
	Sacks allowed	24
	GIANTS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	11
	vs. Pass	14
	Total yds. allowed	9
	# of Ints.	17
	# of Sacks	32
	Turnover differential	-7

The Cowboy offense has been inconsistent through much of this season, although this is largely due to injuries, particularly at the WR position. In recent weeks Dallas has used TE's Erik Bjornson and David LaFleur at the same time - lining up Bjornson as a slot receiver. Bjornson has excelled in this role, and has opened up the underneath routes for Lafleur, who is tough to bring down after he catches the ball. Look for Dallas to continue this trend, as well as feature WR Jason Tucker, who had a breakout game last week in the Superdome. Tucker adds some speed opposite of WR Rocket Ismail, and will be difficult for the Giant secondary to game plan against, as he is especially effective running after the catch. One of the knocks on Cowboy's Coach Chan Gailey is his reluctance to stay with the running game - even when it is working. Gailey has a stable of aging RB's in Emmit Smith and Chris Warren, and seems hesitant to use them to pound the ball between the tackles late in games. The improved health of LOG Larry Allen should provide the Cowboy running game with a shot in the arm, and he looked effective against the Saints after a five-week layoff due to a knee injury. Allen and LOT Flozell Adams should find some success run blocking against the right side of New York's defensive line, but Adams could have some problems in pass protection against Giants' RDE Cedric Jones, who is having a breakout season.

Despite the loss of both the team's starting corners, the Giants have managed to not give up the "home run" in most of the team's games. The return of LDC Conrad Hamilton gave the team a boost last week against the Vikings, as the team held Minnesota QB Jeff George to just 10-21 for 185 yards and two interceptions. The Giants have been playing a lot of zone coverage because of the loss of starting corners Phillipi Sparks and Jason Sehorn, but these schemes have allowed the team to avoid being beaten by opposing teams' passing games. This week against Dallas, the Giants will again look to force Cowboy QB Aikman to take what they give him - short passes to his second and third reads on underneath patterns. This should allow the team's front seven to tee off on Aikman and focus on shutting down the Cowboy running game. RDE Jones and LDE Michael Strahan need to stand-up to Dallas' behemoth OT's at the point of attack and allow the team's linebackers to fly to the ball and make plays. One area where the Giants need to be particularly sharp is in pass coverage of the Cowboy tight ends, who emerged as potent weapons over the last month. This will probably require that a safety or nickel linebacker cover TE Erik Bjornson, who is capable of getting open downfield.

Special teams

	NFL RANK
	Category	NY	DAL
	Punt return avg.	4	6
	Kickoff return avg.	13	16
	Opp. punt return avg.	25	24
	Opp. kickoff ret. avg.	16	11
	Time of possession	12	3

Dallas WR Jason Tucker, aside from having an outstanding game as a receiver, also scorched the Saints as a return man. He set a team record for combined yards and managed to do so despite having a 97-yard kickoff return called back due to a holding call. Dallas PK Eddie Murray has been effective, albeit with limited range, over the last three weeks for the Cowboys and will continue to play a big part on a team that is missing a go-to-guy in the red zone. New York PK Carey Blanchard has been a godsend to a team that lost starting PK Brad Daluiso for the season with a knee injury. Given the Giants ineffectiveness in the red zone, Blanchard could play a huge role in the outcome of this game.

Key matchups