Sitting at 1-3 on the season is not what the Dallas Cowboys expected going into the season. Nonetheless, Mike McCarthy's team cannot look back and instead need to get on track in a hurry.

Fortunately for McCarthy and company, the 0-4 New York Giants are coming into town. Without the threat of running back Saquon Barkley, Joe Judge's squad is short of options to attack defenses with. That said, the Cowboys defense has had its fair share of struggles through the first four games of the 2020 NFL season.

In fact, Sunday's matchup will pit one of the league's worst offenses (Giants) against one of the league's worst defenses (Cowboys) inside AT&T Stadium. Daniel Jones and the Giants offense are averaging just 11.8 points per game, the worst mark in the NFL. The Cowboys defense, meanwhile, are giving up 36.5 points per contest — also the worst mark in the league.

Needless to say, something will have to give on Sunday when these two division rivals clash. The Cowboys are in desperate need of a win to have any hope of salvaging the start to this season, but they have not proven to be good enough to overlook the Giants.

Here are three players that could determine whether or not the Dallas Cowboys walk away with a victory in week five.

DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys defensive end

The Cowboys defensive struggles this season have been covered in great detail. Mike Nolan's unit cannot stop the pass, struggles to stop the run, has a difficult time getting pressure on the quarterback, and fails to create takeaways. That is, obviously, not a great recipe.

DeMarcus Lawrence is widely considered to be among the best defensive ends in football, but the Boise State product has not been playing up to his standards thus far in 2020. The Pro Bowl talent has recorded zero sacks, zero quarterback hits, and zero fumbles in 146 snaps through four games. That is not what the Cowboys were expecting to get from Tank when they signed him to a $105M deal in 2019.

Lawrence said after the game that the defense is "soft" and that "we have to get better from it".

DeMarcus Lawrence on the Cowboys defense today: “Soft. We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. I call the shit soft, and we have to get better from it.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 4, 2020

Sunday is Lawrence's chance to rebound against a familiar foe. If he struggles to produce against a mediocre Giants offensive tackle, some serious questions will have to be asked.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants quarterback

On the flip side, Giants signal caller Daniel Jones has to be excited to go against an awful Cowboys defense that has shown no signs of stopping any offense from doing whatever they want. The Falcons and Seahawks had their way through the air, while the Rams and Browns torched the Cowboys on the ground.

While the Giants do not have the offensive personnel to put much fear into defenses, this is a game in which Daniel Jones — who failed to throw a single touchdown in the last three games — can get back on track. Jones has the mobility to stress the Cowboys out of the pocket, and there is a chance he can find Darius Slayton or Evan Engram on Sunday.

Jones has not proven to be a very good quarterback thus far in his young NFL career and is extremely prone to turning the ball over. The Cowboys defense has the perfect opportunity to help out the offense this week, but it is hard to trust that side of the ball until they can stop a functional offense.

Fortunately for Dallas, though, is that the Giants are not a very functional offense.

Cowboys offensive tackles

We cheated and put two players here, but the Dallas Cowboys offensive tackles are certainly worth watching and keeping a close eye on throughout Sunday's game. With the news that Tyron Smith will be joining La'el Collins on the sidelines for the remainder of the season, this position becomes even more important.

Brandon Knight and Terence Steele — two undrafted free agents (Knight in 2019, Steele this year) — are tasked with holding down the fort for the Cowboys. There is some speculation that Zack Martin could move out to tackle, like he did against the Seahawks, but that has not been confirmed by McCarthy.

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense are on pace to shatter single-season passing records, but the injuries all over the offensive line could be tough to overcome as the season progresses. The Giants are better on the interior in the trenches, but the Cowboys will be challenged to keep Prescott upright nonetheless.

Keep an eye on how both Knight, who has played mostly well in 2020, and Steele, who has had more negatives than positives through four games, perform this Sunday. Will Prescott be able to trust that pair to protect him?

Featured image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports