Dallas Cowboys take a big L in Week 7 before even playing a down of football, and it already had a tangible effect
The Dallas Cowboys are in an increasingly difficult spot to be in when it comes to winning the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott knows his team needs to show urgency.
“We can only say we’ve got a lot of games in front of us for so long,” Prescott told reporters on Friday. “Might be already past us, right?”
On Sunday, the Cowboys took a hit before even playing a down of football that only elevates the meaning of the quarterback’s words. That’s because the NFC East-leading New York Giants pulled off the upset in Houston to improve to 4-2-1.
And the thing is, the Giants entered the game as 10.5-point underdogs. With the way the Giants played with J.J. McCarthy under center, it was a reminder that they might just be better than many people expected.
Giants show they’re legit
In the Giants’ overtime win over the Texans, the biggest takeaway is that McCarthy played very well against a talented defense. The young quarterback completed 71% of his pass attempts while recording a rating of 99.1.
He made some seriously good throws, including a couple of dimes headed toward Malik Nabers—who finished the game with seven catches for 111 yards. Rookie wideout Malachi Fields had four for 83.
McCarthy didn’t do it alone, however. Cam Skattebo picked up 124 rushing yards in 17 attempts. He, Devin Singletary and Tyronce Tracy Jr. all scored rushing touchdowns. So did Jameis Winston, by the way. As for the Giants defense, they held the Texans to 3-of-12 on third downs and gave up only two red zone trips.
This is to say, it was an all-around showing by John Harbaugh’s team. And quite frankly, it was complementary football. Something the Cowboys have yet to put on tape this season.
Cowboys’ chances to win the NFC East take a serious hit
There’s a tangible impact on the NFC East by the Giants’ unexpected win. All you have to do is look at prediction markets. On Monday, the Giants had a 27.8% chance of winning the division, per Kalshi. The Cowboys led the division at 42.5%.
At the time of this writing, both teams are tied at 41%.
The Cowboys are running out of time to show they can turn the division around. And it starts with beating the Eagles at home. If they don’t, the Giants might just run away with the NFC East for the first time since 2011.
