The Dallas Cowboys beat their division rival New York Giants by the score of 37-18.They started the game off a bit rusty but cruised to an easy victory once they got back up to game speed.

Cowboys crush the Giants; Vikings up next

Roger Rivero
Nov 6, 2019, 6:30 am
Jason Garret and the Cowboys are close to clinching. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys beat their division rival New York Giants by the score of 37-18.They started the game off a bit rusty but cruised to an easy victory once they got back up to game speed.

Recap

The Cowboys turned the ball over on their 2nd play of the game, which led to a quick 3-point deficit but they quickly rallied and took control of the game right before the end of the first half. Once they got the lead, they never gave it up and earned another divisional victory.

Quarterback Dak Prescott was 22/35 for 257 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.He connected with 6 different receivers, who were led by Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper.Cooper had 4 catches for 80 yards, which included a 45-yard touchdown strike with about 8 minutes left in the game that broke the Giants back. 2nd year receiver Michael Gallup only caught 2 balls but one was an amazing 15-yard catch and run down the sideline for touchdown.

Super Star Ezekiel Elliott had his best rushing game of the year.He carried the ball 23 times for 139 yards and averaged 6 yards a carry.He was held to zero catches and zero touchdowns, but once again he was the driving force of the offense.

Dallas improves to (5-3) and most importantly is now (4-0) in the division, which has them all-alone in 1st place of the NFC East.

3 Things to Watch For

1.Ezekiel Elliott (Running Back): It is very simple, when Zeke touches the ball 20+ times a game the Cowboys tend to win more than if he doesn't.This week he will be up solid run defense in the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas will need to get creative in getting him his touches.

2.Michael Gallup (Wide Receiver): Didn't have a big game this past week but made a huge play where he showcased his running ability as he tight roped the sideline before he scored a touchdown.He should have plenty of chances as the Viking defense will be keying on #1 receiver Amari Cooper.

3.Jaylon Smith and Sean Lee (Linebackers): With the health of their best defensive player Leighton Vander Esch up in the air, it is up to Smith and Lee to contain the current NFL's leading rusher Dalvin Cook.The Vikings rely on him the way the Cowboys do with Zeke.If they can stop Cook, they will certainly have a chance at getting another win.

Coming Up

The Dallas Cowboys (5-3) will be at home Sunday night taking on the Minnesota Vikings (6-3) at AT&T Stadium (AKA:Jerry's World) in Arlington, Texas.Kickoff is set for 7:20 pm Central Time.This is going to be an interesting game because both teams are very similar.They both like to take control by running the ball with their stud running backs and then come over the top with the playmaking receivers.Luckily for Dallas, the Vikings are (2-3) on the road this year.

If you have any fantasy players, the only must start players are:

Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott (RB), Amari Cooper (WR), Dak Prescott (QB), Michael Gallup (WR)

Vikings: Dalvin Cook (RB), Kirk Cousins (WR), Stefon Diggs (WR)

For you gamblers out there, the Cowboys are currently -3 and the over/under is 47.5.This is a pretty even matchup and I don't think I could take the Cowboys at anything over.I think the over is the way to go again.The over has hit in three of the last four games the Cowboys have played.

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Texans 20 , Colts 17

Texans vs Colts: Good, bad and ugly

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In a Thursday Night Football battle, the Texans edged out the Colts in 20-17 hard fought victory. Here's how I saw things play out:

The Good

-DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller re-established themselves as one of the best wide receiver duos in the league this game. 13 catches on 19 targets for a combined 234 yards and two touchdowns (both by Hopkins). Whenever Deshaun Watson has Hopkins on the short to intermediate stuff and Fuller stretching the field, it gives him more options in the pass game.

-Deshaun Watson completed 63.3% of his passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. While he did throw an inexplicable interception and took a sack, he still did enough to guide his team to a win. This kid is going to be a star and eventually lead his team to great things one day.

-The defense came up big against a division rival. Zach Cunningham and Benardrick McKinney combined for 27 tackles, 19 of those were solo tackles. This wasn't an easy game. It was a grinder, and the defense deserves some love for their contribution.

The Bad

-Watson's interception in the 2nd quarter hurt their momentum. The Colts had just punted the ball to the Texans. With a 3-0 lead, they could've taken a two score lead with a touchdown drive. Instead, pressure up the middle tipped the pass and Colts corner Kenny Moore made a great play to pick it off. Sometimes good defense beats good offense.

-Back to back Colt possessions swung momentum back in their favor. At the end of the 1st half, the Texans gave up a field goal to tie the game at 10. To start the 2nd half, the Texans failed on a 4th&3 conversion. The Colts went on an 11 play drive (10 runs, one pass) and scored after Benardrick McKinney failed to make the tackle when he met Jonathan Williams in the gap.

-The Colts ran the ball 39 times for 175 yards at a 4.5 yard per carry clip. Losing the rushing yardage differential by -76, turnover game by -1, and time of possession by almost seven minutes is normally a recipe for a loss. These metrics need to be cleaned up moving forward, or else this team will be out early in the playoffs.

The Ugly

-The Colts convderted 9/15 of their 3rd down conversions. Giving up 60% on 3rd down conversions isn't what good football teams do. If the Texans expect to advance in the AFC playoff picture, they have some work to do as far as 3rd down conversion percentage.

-Dylan Cole went down with a calf injury in the 2nd quarter. He's not only one of their more athletic linebackers, he's alos the leading special teams tackler. Hopefully he's okay as this team, particularly the defense, has suffered enough injuries.

-After the field goal early in the 2nd quarter, I heard them playing "Football Time In Houston" by Clay Walker. Will they PLEASE get rid of that damn song?!? I'm sure there's a rap song they can use that's better. Hell, get a local band to do a rock song. Anything but that tired ass song!

Now that the Texans have won this game and firm control of the AFC South, they have about a 75% chance at making the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Colts have only about a 20% chance to make it. The Texans have five games left: Patriots, Broncos, @Titans, @Bucs, and Titans. None of those teams pose a serious threat outside the Pats. Winning all these games would give them a 12-4 record and a shot at a first round bye depending on what happens with other teams. Winning this game puts them in the driver's seat in the AFC South, and helps them in the race for a first round bye. They'll need some out side help to get first round bye in the playoffs, but health is a major component moving forward. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. With the Pats coming into town next Sunday night, the Texans have a chance to make some noise in the AFC. Next week will be the new biggest game of the Bill O'Brien era.

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