The Dallas Cowboys can't take any opponent for granted in the NFL, not even the New York Giants, the team they've dominated ever since Dak Prescott burst into the scene in 2016.
Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis said it best when discussing the long list of issues the team must fix: "It doesn't matter who we play; we have to go out there and be detailed in the plays. If we’re not doing that, anybody can beat us in this NFL."
Even still, the Giants' final injury report of the week just gave the Cowboys a big reason to view this as a big opportunity for a "right the ship" game under the lights of primetime, a scenario they've dominated since 2021 by being the winningest team at .765.
You see, the Giants will be without starting nickel cornerback Andru Phillips and without backup nickel cornerback Adoree' Jackson, meaning they'll either have to play a third-string cornerback in the slot or shuffle their secondary pieces around.
That's a particularly large problem when faced with All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has spent most of the time in the slot since the 2023 season. The Cowboys' superstar receiver will enter the contest quite motivated after spending the last few days being criticized for his body language in his team's loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Lamb vowed to be better earlier in the week and he now gets an opportunity to combine a better attitude with a big game against a Giants' banged up secondary.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have two players with game designations ahead of the NFC East primetime showdown: CB Caelen Carson and S Markquese Bell. The former has been starting at outside cornerback during the absence of DaRon Bland and Mike Zimmer will be forced to replace him with Israel Mukuamu or Andrew Booth Jr.
That will also prove to be a challenge for the Cowboys secondary as they have to deal with the quickly rising Malik Nabers, who scored two touchdowns in eight catches last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
