Going home gives the Cowboys a chance to start over as the New York Giants head to Dallas for a pairing of NFC East rivals attempting to stay out of an early hole in the division standings.
The Cowboys lost at Philadelphia (24-20) and the Giants were blasted by the Washington Commanders (21-6) in Week 1.
“We don’t think that way,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, denying the Cowboys are concerned about a two-game deficit in the division. “It’s important because it’s the next game. We feel like we played well enough in spots to beat Philadelphia. We don’t look back, we look forward. I’m a big believer in home-field advantage. ”
Dak Prescott has won his last 13 starts against the Giants, a team with several new faces and another reset at quarterback.
The Giants, who started Drew Lock and Daniel Jones in two losses to the Cowboys last season, are trying to hold off a quarterback controversy just one game into the 2025 season.
Russell Wilson is pegged to become the fourth quarterback to start against the Cowboys in the past five meetings.
He failed to find the end zone in his debut as New York’s starter last week and the Giants suffered their 12th loss in 13 games dating to last season. During that time, the Giants were held below 22 points in every defeat.
After initially not committing to Wilson to start Week 2, Daboll reiterated he’s the QB1 this week. Wilson had three turnovers and the Giants were 4 of 16 on third-down conversions, which upped the volume on calls for first-round pick Jaxson Dart to start. Dart is the No. 2 QB for the second week in a row, Daboll said.
Media and fan support for Dart could multiple if things go poorly in Dallas.
“But the reality is that things take time and not everything is just a 9-1-1 situation. We have good coaches. We have a good quarterback in Russell Wilson and it’s one week,” Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton said. “If you kind of look at the history of football, it hasn’t always served people well to just throw people in the fire, because I know that I wouldn’t want to be thrown in the fire like that.”
Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is going in-depth to prepare for rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart.
“Obviously, Jaxson believes in himself. He obviously believes he’s a good football player,” Slayton said. “We believe he’s a good football player.
“At the same time, this league is hard, this league is tough, and you see players get chewed up and spit out all the time by this league, which is something I would never want to happen to him.”
Schottenheimer worked with Wilson with the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson came out in Schottenheimer’s defense when he was fired as offensive coordinator in 2021. Schottenheimer was also offensive coordinator of the New York Jets when current Giants coach Brian Daboll was QB coach. The first-year Cowboys coach denied familiarity with Wilson will matter on gameday.
“You know his strengths, you know his weaknesses, I also know what an incredibly hard worker he is,” Schottenheimer said. “It should be a fun matchup to watch.”
Wilson’s job might have become easier two weeks ago when the Cowboys sent star Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. The Giants are still working without left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot), who was not on the practice field Wednesday and sat out Week 1.
The Commanders kept inside running lanes clogged and Wilson had 44 of the Giants’ 74 rushing yards. New York’s running backs combined for 30 yards on 15 carries.
“I think that takes everybody, it takes all 11. So, players and coaches, just keep on improving,” Daboll said. We’ve got to do a good job on early downs to make sure that we’re keeping the defense in conflict as much as we can.”
But Wilson was unsuccessful pushing the ball down the field, averaging 4.5 yards per attempt in Week 1, much to the dismay of No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers. Nabers had a heated exchange with Daboll on the sideline and later on the field at Washington. Nabers practiced in limited fashion with a back injury.
“We’ll pull out a couple reps here and there. He’s out here practicing. He feels good enough to practice,” Daboll said Wednesday.
Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was not on the field with teammates at midweek. He was with his wife as they welcomed their first child.
Prescott would be just fine if he looked over the interior offensive line and didn’t see No. 97 on the Giants’ line on Sunday. Schottenheimer said moving Lawrence and getting more explosive running plays is a focal point this week.
“I wish we would’ve had a few more explosives. We were close on a couple,” Schottenheimer said. “Pop a few more explosives, it helps you score points, it flips the field. Explosive plays matter in this league. I’m a huge Dexter Lawrence fan. It’s also fun when it’s over. When you are done playing him.”
Parsons isn’t walking through that door and the Cowboys continue to churn on ways to bolster the pass rush. On Wednesday, they hosted former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. The 32-year-old has 58 career sacks. He played for the Panthers last season.
Schottenheimer was on the Seahawks’ coaching staff when Clowney played for Seattle in 2019 and they’ve stayed in touch. He said he knows Clowney has missed the game.
“I know the problems he can create in both the run and the pass,” Schottenheimer said. “How disruptive he can be. It was really good to catch up. I feel great about our defensive line depth. But any time you have a chance to potentially add good players, we’re going to kick the tires. The biggest thing with me is always going to be the fit.”
Cowboys safety Malik Hooker (foot) is working with trainers Wednesday but Schottenheimer believes he has a chance to play Sunday.
Giants linebacker Micah McFadden, who was carted off the field in the season opener with a foot and leg injury, will not play this week, Daboll said. Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (ankle) was held out as a precaution. He’s expected to play Sunday.
