We’re here, ladies and gentlemen — the 2025 New York Giants’ season is almost over. The Giants host the 7-8-1 Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. Bot teams are eliminated from playoff contention, but Dak Prescott and the Cowboys aren’t sitting their starters.
Losing is on the minds of many Giants’ fans. New York possessed the number one overall pick last week, but the Giants beat up on a hapless Raiders team, which ended their nine-game losing streak. The Giants now have the second overall pick, but a victory against Dallas could drop the Giants to the seventh overall pick. My Twitter friend, Doug Analytics (follow the man!), lays it out nicely:
For the third week in a row, draft position is the deliberated topic regarding the Giants’ game. Nevertheless, there’s a competitive game to play, where the players will try the hardest to win; and, for the Giants, that’s been an incredibly arduous task against Prescott.
The Giants have not defeated the Dallas Cowboys since 2020, and they have not beaten the Cowboys, led by Dak Prescott, since the quarterback’s rookie season of 2016 — EMBARRASSING! Dallas is going for 10 wins in a row against their NFC East rival.
The Giants were close in Week 2 when Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards in a 40-37 overtime loss that the defense surrendered due to questionable coverage and decisions. Still, the Giants left Dallas with yet another loss. I’m sure it would mean a lot to the team to defeat Dallas in Week 18 to get this metaphorical monkey off their back.
Dallas defeated Washington on Christmas, 30-23, which ended their three-game skid. The Cowboys have experienced some turmoil since the win; the Cowboys released cornerback Trevon Diggs, who is now a Green Bay Packers, and the release was reported as a personal disagreement:
Diggs and rookie Shevon Revel were the starting cornerbacks, and the latter did not practice on Wednesday, so the Cowboys’ defense may have two new starting cornerbacks. Dallas has a few new faces on defense since Week 2. They made a mid-season trade for defensive line star Quinnen Williams, who has 32 pressures and a pair of sacks since joining the Cowboys in Week 11; Williams has been an absolute terror for opposing offenses.
Jadeveon Clowney joined the team in Week 4 and has 4.5 sacks with 34 pressures. Fast and physical linebacker DeMarvion Overshown returned from injury as well. They traded for linebacker Logan Wilson, but he did not play in Week 17.
The matchup
The Dallas defense is improved from its comically bad performance in Week 2, but it’s still a bottom-tier unit under Matt Eberflus. They’ve allowed the sixth most points over the last three weeks and still rank last in points surrendered on the season. They surrender the third most yards on the year (357.8), and they’re also third to last in third-down percentage (46.52%).
Dallas has allowed a touchdown on 68.85% of its red zone appearances, ranking 31st in the league. They surrender 123.3 rushing yards per game (20th in the NFL), and they’re last in passing yards surrendered (253.6 per game).
The Giants will be without their top two pass catchers, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (rib) and tight end Theo Johnson (illness).
The Giants should start with a strong rushing attack to set up play-action, with an RPO and quick-game attack mixed in. The passing game should attack the new cornerbacks and the rules of Eberflus’ match defense — flood concepts for zone, stacked releases to attack man coverage with back-side options crossing the field. Dallas is vulnerable in the middle of the field — Wilson exploited that in Week 2; while the defense has improved, it still has its issues inside the numbers.
Jaxson Dart must take what the defense gives him, but he should initially keep his eyes on downfield concepts against a sustainable defense with new pieces in the back end. He should also not be afraid to run, but be cognizant of impending contact.
Final thoughts
The Giants and Prescott have quite the one-sided history, and New York is looking to lay some foundation that can close a disappointing chapter in the Giants’ history. At the same time, Big Blue focuses on growing the youth movement that’s residing with the coachless Giants. The Giants will be fiery in this final week and I’m going with a Giants’ win to close this horrible season with a two-game winning streak that drastically changes their draft situation.
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