We've been in this situation before, and it's usually ended extremely poorly for the Giants.
Call it a litmus test, a yardstick, a proving ground, whatever you want to call it, as the Giants try to build confidence and gauge how far they can go against the Cowboys, the answer is usually — and I mean almost always — unsettling.
I'm here again.
The Giants were 0-2 but their first win of the season last week in Cleveland silenced the cries of the sky falling, at least temporarily.
Just like that, the Cowboys show up on the schedule looking extremely vulnerable after losing two straight home games, with all sorts of hot takes and hot-seat analysis emanating from Arlington, Texas.
That makes Thursday night's matchup at MetLife Stadium the latest primetime test for the Giants run by a team dedicated to teaching them tough lessons.
The Giants have lost six straight to the Cowboys and 13 of their past 14 games in a thoroughly one-sided NFC East rivalry.
The last time the Giants were kicked off their own field, they were booed by the crowd in a 28-6 loss to the Vikings in the season opener.
“Honestly, it's just about proving what we can do,” safety Jason Pinnock said. “It might be a corny response, but that's how we feel in this building. We're not trying to prove the people that don't believe that they're wrong. We're just trying to prove ourselves in this building and to the people that we love that believe in us that we're right.”
Not much is going to go well for the Giants in this situation.
They have lost five straight primetime games to the Cowboys and nine of their last 10, most of which were not close games.
The match will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday night.
Things have been so bad that Daniel Jones was asked this week if he's ever actually beaten the Cowboys.
“Yeah, I think I beat them a few years ago,” he correctly replied.
The Giants and Cowboys, each with one playoff win each, met in the 2023 opener after the 2022 regular season and were supposed to showcase the hometown team's growing strength.
However, the Giants were thrashed 40-0 in a disappointing finale, and things got even worse when the Cowboys won the rematch 49-17, taking both games to a 72-point victory, a victory that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called “incredible.”
Have the Giants closed the gap in any noticeable way?
They have a promising star in rookie wide receiver Malik Neighbors and the makings of a strong pass rush.
It remains to be seen whether the Giants can take advantage of the weaknesses the Cowboys have revealed through three games.
The run defense has been bad so far. Historically, that's been the case, and that's no exaggeration.
The Cowboys are coming off a game in which Derrick Henry (151 yards) and Lamar Jackson tore through the Dallas defense, allowing 274 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns.
The week before, the Saints allowed just 190 rushing yards. Their 557 rushing yards were the most a Dallas franchise has allowed through the first three games of a season since 1963.
Their average of 5.4 yards per attempt is their worst through three games since 1974, and their eight rushing touchdowns through the first three games are the most ever allowed by the Cowboys.
It was so easy for the Cowboys to move the ball on the ground that Saints guard Derek Carr threw the ball just 16 times over the past two weeks and Jackson felt the need to throw it in the air just 15 times.
The situation was so bad that former Giants player and Cowboys defensive tackle Linval Joseph called it “Little League football.”
Devin Singletary, signed to replace Saquon Barkley, is averaging a respectable 4.7 yards per rushing attempt behind a strengthened but far from dominant offensive line.
It remains to be seen whether the Giants can beat the Cowboys on the ground, or whether Jones will have to lead them to victory against a team that has dominated them.
“Obviously, it didn't go so well last time, but we're a new team and we're confident,” Jones said. “We're a new team, they're a new team and we're excited for the opportunity.”
