All week, the narrative surrounding the Cowboys was that they couldn't stop their run.
The numbers after three games are incriminating, and it certainly made sense for the Giants to try to test Dallas' defense on the ground Thursday night.
Things didn't go so well for the Giants.
They tried to establish a run, but things didn't go well in the first half.
They ran it 16 times and gained just 29 yards, averaging a paltry 1.8 yards per attempt. Devin Singletary had eight completions, but ran for only 22 yards.
The Giants lost 26-15 at MetLife Stadium, with a pathetic rushing yardage.
This was much different than what other teams have done against the Cowboys in the past three games.
In Week 3, they allowed 274 rushing yards to the Ravens, and their 557 rushing yards were the most by Dallas in the first three games of the season.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabors became the third player in the Super Bowl era to record 30 or more receptions in his first four NFL games.
The only other players to accomplish this are Puka Nacua (39 receptions) and Anquan Boldin (30 receptions). Nabers entered the game with 23 catches in his first three games.
The Cowboys' top cornerback, Trevon Diggs, left the field with 11 minutes and 30 seconds remaining due to dehydration. He could return for the next series.
The Giants had to improvise in the secondary because two cornerbacks, veteran Ad'ree Jackson and rookie Drew Phillips, went down with calf injuries.
Nick McLeod, who missed the past two games with a knee injury, started as a slot corner, and Cordale Flott started as a perimeter corner opposite Deonte Banks.
TE Daniel Bellinger was called for a holding penalty in the first quarter, but it was Cowboys LB Demarvion Overshawn who grabbed Bellinger's facemask.
WR Darius Slayton, who was in doubt for the game due to a thumb injury, was able to play. He recorded a 28-yard reception in the second quarter.
Daniel Jones remained at the top of the list as the quarterback with the worst record in NFL history in prime time. His winning percentage fell to .071 with 1 win and 13 losses.
Next on that unlucky list are Andy Dalton (6-21), Jeff George (5-17) and Ken Anderson (3-10).
Dak Prescott started 13 games against the Giants and became the fourth quarterback in history to win 13 games in a row against an opponent.
Bob Griese of the Dolphins did it for the Bills from 1968 to 1979, Steve Young of the 49ers did it for the Rams from 1987 to 1998, and Tom Brady did it for the Bills from 2003 to 2010.
Griese and Young are Hall of Fame players, and Brady will be inducted if he becomes eligible.
The last time the Giants beat the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium, no one was in the stands watching the game.
The Giants won 23-19 on January 3, 2021, but that was during the COVID-19 season and fans were not allowed inside the building.
The last time the Giants beat the Cowboys in front of a sold-out crowd at MetLife Stadium was on December 11, 2016, winning 10-7.
The Cowboys entered the game averaging just 4.3 points in the first quarter.
How bad was Dallas' defense in the first three games?
The unit had 32 missed tackles and had the third-most yards lost due to missed tackles (241) in the league.
Veteran DE DeMarcus Lawrence shares the NFL lead with nine missed tackles.
There were also worrying trends on the offensive side.
Running backs Rico Doodle, Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn didn't break a tackle in the first three games.
TE/FB Jacob Johnson and CB Duke Shelley were promoted from the practice squad for this game.
The Giants' inactive players were Jackson, Phillips, S Anthony Johnson, OLB Benton Whitley, OLB Boogie Basham, and G Jake Kubas. Tommy DeVito was the third quarterback.
The Cowboys' starting cornerback Kaylen Carson was inactive.
