New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys, Week 17 | How and What To Watch

Let’s get you ready for the ultimate Week 17 NFC East showdown between the Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Patricia Traina | Jan 3, 2021

New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys, Week 17 | How and What To Watch /

This is it for the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

The winner of this regular-season finale will be glued to the television tonight to see how the Washington-Philadelphia game unfolds as if the understaffed Eagles beats Washington, the winner of this afternoon NFC East showdown at MetLife Stadium will win the division.

Meanwhile, the loser will head into the off-season looking to break down what went right and what went wrong.

Besides the playoff implications being the main story, from the Giants' perspective, quarterback Daniel Jones has a golden opportunity to quiet his critics once and for all with a strong showing. Jones has never been in this kind of pressure position before where it’s literally “sink or swim.”

With the way the coaching staff has been singing his praises over the last several weeks—his toughness, his progress, his grit, his intelligence, and all else—it certainly would be reassuring if Jones can deliver in a big-time spot as only a true franchise quarterback can.

Can Jones put the Giants in a position to be the scoreboard watchers this evening?

Keep it here at Giants Country, where Jackson Thompson will be running the gameday blog covering all the Giants-Cowboys action. We'll also have complete postgame coverage featuring analysis, quotes, and much more.

TV: FOX (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, & Erin Andrews)

Game information: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys

Current Records: Giants 5-10 / Cowboys 6-9

Date/Time: Sunday, January 3 at 1:05 p.m. ET

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Streaming: Yahoo! Sports (mobile browser or app) – Check local listings - Data charges may apply. NFL Sunday Ticket

Radio: WFAN 660 AM (Bob Papa, Carl Banks)

Referee: Brad Allen

Money Line: Cowboys -118/ Giants +100 (via BetMGM)

Spread: +1.5 Giants / -1.5 Cowboys

Over/Under: O 44.5 (-110), Cowboys / U43.5 (-110), Giants

The Series

Series Meetings: 117
Giants’ Overall Record: 45-69-2
Home: 25-31-1
Away: 20-38-1

Giants Injuries:

WR Golden Tate (calf) – Doubtful
OLB Cam Brown (illness) – Questionable

*FB Eli Penny (illness) was placed on injured reserve

Cowboys Injuries:

CB Rashad Robinson (knee) – Out
LB Leighton Vander Esch (ankle) – Out
S Xavier Woods (ribs) – Questionable

Giants - What to Watch For:

Look to improve to 6-5 all-time in the month of January. The last time the Giants played a regular season game in January was in 2017 when they defeated the Washington Football Team 19-10.

With a win against Dallas, the Giants can finish 3-0 versus the NFC East at home for the first time since 2005.

QB Daniel Jones needs 15 yards (685) to reach 700 rushing yards for his career.

TE Evan Engram needs 4 receptions (61) to surpass his career-high of 64 (2017).

WR Sterling Shepard needs 9 receptions (58) to surpass his career high of 66 (2018).

K Graham Gano needs 1 more converted field goal (29 in a row) to move into first all-time in franchise history for consecutive field goals made. (Josh Brown, 29).

The Last Time: Cowboys 37, Giants 34 (10/11/2020)

In the third quarter of the Week 5 matchup between the Giants and Cowboys played at AT&T Stadium, kicker Graham Gano converted a 55-yard field goal. It was his third 50+ yard field goal of the game.

Gano became the first player in Giants history to kick three field goals of 50 or more yards in a game. The first-year Giant kicked field goals of 55, 50 and 54 yards, plus a 28-yarder.

Goal to Go: Perspective

The whole reason why coaches spend hours upon hours planning the tiniest of detail, why players go through hours of intense training and film study, and why organizations sink millions of dollars into their football programs is for one thing and one thing alone.

To be crowned the best in the league.

The Giants? Well, they're still in the postseason hunt despite not many people believing they'd be in this position by Week 17, where if they win and Washington loses, the Giants, who'd have a 6-10 record, would be crowned NFC East champions.

But if the Giants come up short of winning the division and the right to challenge for the ultimate prize, that won't necessarily mean the season has been a disappointment, according to head coach Joe Judge.

"I think there are a lot of things in terms of what we set out to accomplish this year that no one game is going to go ahead and define the season," Judge said in keeping things in perspective.

"I’m proud of the culture and the foundation we’ve laid and the work ethic and urgency we’ve instilled in these players going forward. That being said, there are many things we need to do better as an organization across the board going forward. We have to keep building this thing in the right direction.

"But I know there’s a vision going forward and there are a lot of people pointing in the right direction right now. So yeah, absolutely."

But if they do manage to win, well, again, that's what it's all about, and there's no doubt that if that happens and they make the playoffs, Judge, who's been reluctant to talk about that, will only be too happy to share his true feelings about whoever does end up next on the Giants' schedule.

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Published Jan 3, 2021

PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.