Cowboys ride defense to Thanksgiving victory over Giants

ARLINGTON, Texas – For the Dallas Cowboys, Thanksgiving offered a small chance to salvage their season. It was more of the same for the New York Giants in a losing season.

The Cowboys won a home game for the first time in 334 days, defeating the Giants 27-20 at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys avoided their third 0-6 start to a home season in which they matched the two worst teams in franchise history, 1960 and 1989. The Cowboys’ last home win came on December 30, 2023 against the Detroit Lions, but since then they had lost six straight times at AT&T Stadium, including the playoffs, and trailed by at least 20 points in all of those games, an NFL record.

At 5-7, the Cowboys cannot yet be considered playoff contenders, but their next two games are against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) and the Carolina Panthers (3-8). Dallas won consecutive games for the second time this season.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys had their first double-digit home lead since Week 14 of last season against the Philadelphia Eagles. That might not seem like much until you consider that the Cowboys went undefeated at AT&T Stadium in 2023.

Here’s what you should know for both teams:

Key game: DeMarvion Overshown changed the tone of the game in the second quarter, one play after the Cowboys cut the Giants’ lead to 7-6 with a field goal. Overshown shot from the right to Drew Lock, blasted Devin Singletary and then redirected Lock’s throw to the running back. Without missing a beat, Overshown returned the interception 23 yards for the Cowboys’ first defensive touchdown of the season, giving them a lead they refused to relinquish. The Giants didn’t even sniff the end zone until late in the fourth quarter as Overshown’s play seemed to strengthen the defense.

Promising trend: Since Rico Dowdle became the unquestioned lead back, the Cowboys’ running game has improved. He became the first Cowboys running back with 100 yards in a game since Tony Pollard in Week 3, ending a franchise streak of 26 games. With a 17-yard run in the fourth quarter, Dowdle passed the century mark for the first time in his career. He also had his first rushing touchdown of the season and a season-high 22 yards. And he did all of this without two starters on offense (Zack Martin, Tyler Guyton) for most of the game. This came four days after an 86-yard effort against the Washington Commanders.

Most surprising performance: CeeDee Lamb, who entered the game as the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, had more drops than catches in the first half. According to ESPN Research, he became the first Cowboy pass catcher with at least three drops in a half in the last 15 years. He had two catches for 39 yards in the first half. For Lamb, his NFL record of 44 consecutive games with at least four receptions came to an end. Lamb had a total of four drops in the first 11 games this season. –Todd Archer

Next game: vs. Bengals (8:15 p.m. ET, December 9)

Somehow things are getting worse for the Giants. They were defeated for the second straight year, only this time it was on national television during Thanksgiving dinner against the division rival Cowboys for the entire nation to see.

New York’s offense still had major problems with Drew Lock, the team’s third starting quarterback in three games. The Giants also lost star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to an elbow injury.

Owner John Mara might have given coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen a vote of confidence a little over a month ago, but the Giants haven’t won since and have now lost seven straight games. The coaching and GM spots are hot.

QB distribution: Does it really matter who is the quarterback? On Thanksgiving, it was Lock’s turn to take a beating. Lock completed 21 of 32 passes for 172 yards, along with a fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown, and had 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. He also collected 13 QB hits and six sacks behind two backup tackles. Much like previous Giants quarterbacks, he didn’t have much of a chance.

Forecast for next week: Tommy DeVito returns as the starting quarterback. According to a source, he underwent an MRI scan of his forearm on Wednesday, but it came back clean. DeVito had a bad bruise. Now that there are still 10 days until the next game against the Saints, he has a realistic chance of being back in the next game. With the defeated Lock starting against Thanksgiving, the Giants might need DeVito.

Amazing statistics: The Giants took the lead for the first time with 371:57. New York had not led since defeating the Seattle Seahawks on October 6th. That’s six full games and nearly a quarter in which they went without a lead until Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run gave them a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. It didn’t take long. The Giants led 22-6 on Thursday before Dallas regained the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Worrying trend: The Giants’ tackling. Lazy from the start. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, they missed five tackles on the first drive alone. They had 11 missed tackles in the first half. This is not an isolated case either. It’s been a problem for New York all season. – Jordan Raanan

Next game: vs. Saints (1 p.m. ET, December 8)