Cowboys BREAKING vs. Giants: TE Dalton Schultz OUT; 3 Bold Predictions
In a tumultuous start to the season featuring an injury to their star quarterback Dak Prescott, as well as an improbable upset against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves 1-1 going into their Week 3 matchup against the New York Giants.
The Giants currently sit at 2-0, while the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0 following a dominant win over the Washington Commanders in Week 3. As a result, Dallas has little room to fall behind with a divisional loss this week.
In a divisional game like this, anything can happen. Here are our three bold predictions for the NFC East matchup on Monday Night Football:
1) Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs gets his first interception of the season
After tying the Cowboys franchise record for interceptions in a single season with 11 last season, Diggs is still searching for his first interception of 2022. Dallas' matchup against New York presents a golden opportunity for Diggs to do that.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has averaged roughly 10 interceptions a season over his first three seasons. Additionally, Diggs picked off Jones in both of Dallas' matchups against New York a year ago. If Cowboys "lion-backer" Micah Parsons can get after Jones (in Parsons' self-proclaimed "flu game") and force him into bad decisions, Diggs will happily capitalize.
2) Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott breaks loose
No Michael Gallup (knee) tonight.
No Dalton Schultz (knee) tonight.
Maybe next week for both. But right now?
Elliott has been the target of constant criticism ranging back to last season. Critics have been quick to point to his statistical regression and perceived loss of burst. However, last season Elliott averaged 90.4 rushing yards per game over the first five weeks prior to him reportedly playing the remainder of the season on a torn PCL. One of those five games included a 110 rushing yard and one rushing touchdown outing against the Giants in Week 5.
New York is allowing 4.9 yards per carry on defense over the first two weeks, tied for fifth-worst across the league. After having averaged just 52.5 rushing yards per game over the first two weeks, Elliott is now well set up for a breakout performance against New York.
3) Cowboys KaVontae Turpin returns one for a touchdown
Turpin was the talk of the preseason for Dallas as their return man. After returning a pair of kicks for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2 of the preseason, expectations soared sky-high for Turpin. So far this season, he hasn't yet been able to break out in the return game ... but he was close in Week 2 against the Bengals.
There's belief in the Cowboys locker room that it's just a matter of time before Turpin finally breaks loose ... why not against New York for primetime football?
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