G-Men vs. Los Vaqueros...Rd. 2

Well, it's Saturday night before Dallas and NY play and to tell you the truth, I don't have a strong sense of how the game will go. For instance, I just knew Dallas would beat Buffalo...and they did, albeit they didn't make it easy to watch. And I knew Dallas would get beat by New England. But tomorrow's game...I don't know, I just don't have a strong feeling either way. I guess I'm about 52% sure that NY will find a way to win. I've been thinking it over all week and there are several reasons why I think Dallas will loose, but there are several reasons I think Dallas will win too.

First, I'll go over why I think Dallas could win. I truly believe that Dallas is the best team in the NFC and will remain so the rest of the year (no second December meltdown like last year) having a very good shot at home field advantage in the playoffs and possibly their 9th trip to the Super Bowl. Tony Romo is part Jedi knight and somehow makes winning look easy. The team seems to have gelled pretty well and T.O. Owens has, for the most part, kept his big mouth shut and even played a couple of good games too...plus, Dallas' true deep threat (Terry Glenn) has yet to play a snap so who knows what that offense will do once he can come back! The defense has gotten better since the beginning of the year, still hasn't allowed a 100 yd rusher this year and now Dallas will add another cog in Tank Johnson who can be important in the rotation at nose guard. Dallas is also not afraid or intimidated about playing on the road (see the pounding Dallas gave Filthadelphia last week). So you mix all that up in a pot and what possibly comes out is a "W" for the Cowboys.

Now, reasons why I think Dallas could loose. The Giants, after starting off 0-2 have won 6 straight (even though their last 4 wins were against arguable the worst 4 teams in the NFL). Their defense has really started getting after the QB (they sacked McNabb 12 times in one game) and has played very well during their 6 game win streak. Manning has also improved as the year has progressed and the chemistry he has with WR Plaxico Burress is downright lethal. Brandon Jacobs was the most prolific RB in the league in the last month gaining 100 yds in 3 of the last 4 games. Dallas' secondary is still a question mark, to me, and if NY can get Roy Williams isolated in pass coverage, that will probably either go for major yardage or a touchdown for NY. Plus in this series, in the last 9-10 years, it seems the home team usually fairs better than the road team. So you mix all that up in a pot and what possibly comes out is an "L" for the Cowboys.

If Dallas were playing this in the friendly confines of Texas Stadium, I really think I would pick them to win without hesitation. However, they are playing in NY whose fans dislike Dallas almost as much as Philly fans, so the stadium and atmosphere is going to be rockin'. I think the game is going to be like last year's game in NY where the game will be close and in the end, one team will make one more play than the other which will probably be the difference in the game. And because the game is in NY, I think the Giants win the game by 3-7 pts.

I certainly do hope I'm wrong. A friend of mine that lives in NY and is a Giants fan, Mike Luciano, emailed that he is going to the game and will have a picture of Lawrence Taylor tattooed to his left pec. I just have this feeling Mike will be leaving Giants Stadium in a good mood. And while I normally would never wish any ill will on any friend, I do hope Mike leaves the stadium a little dejected because somehow Dallas pulls out a victory. But I guess we will see...