Dallas Cowboys KaVontae Turpin OUT; 1 ‘Surprise’ from New York Giants: 5 Keys to Win, Injury & Inactives

The “confident” Dallas Cowboys have moved on from the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and have their eyes on the wounded New York Giants as coach Brian Daboll’s team comes to AT&T Stadium in Week 10.

On paper, this is a matchup of fighters in two vastly different weight classes. Still, the 5-3 Cowboys are on alert for the 2-7 Giants as looking too far ahead caused Dallas trouble against the Arizona Cardinals.

So, how does Mike McCarthy’s team avoid this potential banana skin and get the win against a team depleted with injuries? By doing the five things detailed below …

But first, the inactives list and the captains. In charge today: Tyler Smith (offense), Damone Clark (defense) and Israel Mukuamu (special teams).

The inactives: Noah Igbinoghene, Asim Richards, Junior Fehoko, Eric Scott, Trey Lance and KaVontae Turpin. … with Turpin’s shoulder injury meaning that rookie Deuce Vaughn will dress out and help out.

Now, to the five keys.

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1. Make life hell for Tommy DeVito: Tommy DeVito “should” be walking into a buzzsaw at AT&T Stadium. While he didn’t play the full game against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, he was still sacked six times and was intercepted twice.

Micah Parsons and company, theoretically, should be able to get after DeVito and force mistakes almost at will.

And as the rookie is a New Jersey guy? He knows the recent history of what Dallas – winners of 12 of the last 13 against New York – do to shrink Giants QBs.

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That should be in his head here – or it should get placed in his head. The Dallas defense needs to zap any potential confidence DeVito and the Giants offense might gain early, and to do that, Parsons and his pride of lions need to feast.

2. Get the (perimeter) running game going: Tony Pollard has only rushed for 100 yards once this season, and the Giants defense is giving up 127 rushing yards a game (ranks eighth). Could this be the game where Pollard breaks loose?

In a game where many expect them to have their way with the soft Giants, this could be the game where McCarthy could get the rushing attack humming. … maybe especially if Pollard – who hasn’t scored a TD since Week 1, when he scored two against this same team in a 40-0 blowout – gets to the edge.

3. Keep Dak Prescott and the offense in (CeeDee Lamb) rhythm: Prescott and the offense have been in good form in the last three games, and while the Giants look like they will bleed points … they only give up 225 passing yards per game (ranks 11th) through the air.

Again, that is largely because teams victimize them on the ground. Still …

Getting into a rhythm early (hello, CeeDee Lamb) and moving the ball down the field is crucial in not letting the Giants get a sniff of an upset. New York has only 15 sacks in nine games, so Dak “should” have time to dissect the defense and put up points.

Getting Michael Gallup and Brandin Cooks involved too wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. But if that means “forcing” the ball to them because of concerns from Cowboys Nation that they’re “not involved” enough? Bad idea. The rhythm starts with Lamb; the importance of usage elsewhere pales in comparison.

4. Convert third downs against a surprise: Now, hold onto your hats, as this is quite something.

As bad as the Giants are defensively, as they allow 24 points a game and have a 2-7 record, on third down over the last three weeks, they are the best in the NFL. WHAT?

Just 18 percent of the time, the Giants have allowed a third down conversion. Against the Commanders, Jets, and Raiders, collectively, the Giants have given up just eight third downs out of 44 tries. Yes, you read that right. The Giants defense has forced its foes into going 8 of 44 on third downs in their last three games.

The Cowboys, conversely, are the third-best team in the NFL at converting the “money down” (46 percent), so this will be a fascinating battle to see if Prescott can move the chains consistently against a defense that doesn’t allow it.

5. Load up to stop Saquon Barkley: With no Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, or Darren Waller, the Giants have one weapon – Saquon. The Giants know this, and to their credit (kinda) they have over 100 rushing yards in five of their last six games, with Barkley having 218 rushing yards on 52 carries in the last two games.

Saquon Barkley

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Dallas Cowboys KaVontae Turpin OUT; 1 ‘Surprise’ from New York Giants: 5 Keys to Win, Injury & Inactives

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