Playing meaningful football into December is the goal for every team at any level. Instead, the importance now stretches into the new year as January football is upon us, along with a unique opportunity after the wildest of years for a playoff push.
When the Dallas Cowboys (6-9) and the New York Giants (5-10) meet on Sunday, the winner will be in position, with a Washington loss on Sunday Night Football, to make the playoffs as the NFC East champions. The first meeting between the two resulted in a season-changer for both organizations following a 37-34 win for Dallas.
The result cemented New York's 0-5 start but the Cowboys lost quarterback Dak Prescott before witnessing an Andy Dalton game-winning drive for the first time.
Here are a dozen more big facts to know ahead of Sunday's play-in battle with New York at 12:00pm CT on FOX.
This week's Big Facts reveals how Andy Dalton hit a milestone that joins him right up there with the top six quarterbacks in franchise history.
Cowboys could set franchise record with 500-yard performance
Dallas' 516-yard performance against the Eagles in Week 16 was the fourth time that the Cowboys have tallied at least 500 total yards, tying the franchise record. The record of five games with over 500 yards seemed like a forgone conclusion after Dallas reached the mark in three of the first four games. However, Sunday was the first time to do so since Week 4 and since Dak Prescott's season-ending injury, tying the 1966, 1978, 2019
New York has not scored during a two-minute drill all season
While Dallas has had plenty of success this season during an offensive possession within the final two minutes of a half, the Giants have not. Dallas ranks ninth in the league with six drives resulting in points after starting with less than two minutes left. New York is dead last in the NFL as the only team that has yet to score on a two-minute drill this season. This was on full display in the first matchup between these divisional rivals as New York began a drive, tied at 34, with 1:56 on the clock in the fourth quarter of the Week 5 battle. Instead of making a move for the win, the Giants were forced to punt after just one first down and left plenty of time for a game-winning drive from Dallas (one of their six scoring drives).
Greg Zuerlein needs four field goals to tie single-season franchise record
During his first season in Dallas, Greg Zuerlein has certainly had his ups and downs but has continued to be a normally reliable weapon for the Cowboys. He currently sits fourth on the list for most field goals made in a single season in franchise history with 30 makes, the second-highest total of his career. He needs just a pair of field goals on Sunday to tie Dan Bailey (2011) and Chris Boniol (1996) for second on the list but sits four away from the overall mark set by Richie Cunningham in 1997.
Joe Judge could be the second Giants coach to win division in their first season
It took until Week 6 for Joe Judge to get his first win as a head coach in the NFL, but Sunday he has an opportunity to do what only one other coach has done in his first year with the Giants. With a win against the Cowboys and a Washington loss, Judge would join Jim Fassel (1997) as the only coaches in New York to have won the division in their first season with the team. Jim Fassel's son, John, is the current Special Teams Coordinator for the Cowboys and will be on the opposite sideline Sunday. Judge would also be the first coach to lead New York to the playoffs since Ben McAdoo did it in 2016 with an 11-5 record and a loss in the Wild Card Round.
Andy Dalton became the seventh Dallas QB with three straight multi-touchdown games
In his only season with the Cowboys, Andy Dalton has already managed to join some elite company among the quarterbacks in franchise history. Dalton's three touchdowns against Philadelphia last week extended his multi-touchdown streak to three games, making him the seventh quarterback in Cowboys history to have such a run. The veteran gunslinger joins Dak Prescott, Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, Danny White, Roger Staubach, and Don Meredith on a list of who's who when it comes to the quarterback position that have achieved the mark.
Giants defense has allowed 100-plus yards rushing in four straight games
New York has suddenly struggled in an area where they shined throughout the first dozen weeks of the season… stopping the run. Since Week 13, the Giants have allowed their opponent to reach the century mark on the ground, including a season-worst 249 yards allowed in Week 16 against the Ravens. Dallas will aim to continue the streak that Seattle (111), Arizona (159), Cleveland (106), and Baltimore have started. Ezekiel Elliott tallied 105 rushing yards alone last week in his best performance of the season, against Philadelphia.
Opponents are 4-1 after losing to the Cowboys
This is something that hasn't mattered much before but it does this week. The Cowboys not only need to win Sunday, but Philadelphia must defeat Washington for Dallas to win the NFC East. Call it a coincidence, but this season, teams that have lost to the Cowboys have been successful the next week. Other than Atlanta, which lost a fourth-quarter lead to Chicago the week after losing a big lead to Dallas, teams have managed to win the next game. The Giants, Vikings, Bengals and 49ers all won the next week after losing to Dallas. Could Philly be the next in line?
Cowboys have allowed most points in franchise history
Although the Cowboys have made improvements in the last three weeks, and don't rank last in points allowed in the NFL anymore, it's still the most points allowed by a Cowboys team in franchise history. With 450 points allowed, it surpasses the 2010 team that gave up 436 points and finished 6-10.
Cowboys are 16-3 when Zeke averages 5.0 yards per carry
Ezekiel Elliott entered the season with 18 career games in which he averaged over 5.0 yards per carry. But in 2020, it took Week 16 before he finally reached that mark, rushing for a season-best 105 yards on 19 carries for a 5.53-yard average. In those games when Zeke averages over 5.0 yards a rush, the Cowboys are now 16-3.
Giants have 3 former Cowboys QBs in the organization
Obviously, Jason Garrett, who was the Cowboys' head coach for nearly 10 years, is the Giants' offensive coordinator. But he's not the only former Cowboys quarterback with the Giants, who have two players with Dallas ties on the practice squad. Alex Tanney, who spent the 2012 preseason with the Cowboys, and Clayton Thorson, who was with the Cowboys last year, are both on the Giants' practice squad. Additionally, the Giants have four other coaches on their staff who had coached in Dallas – Jerome Henderson, Derek Dooley, Stephen Brown and Freddie Kitchens.
Lamb is first Cowboys player in 58 years with this TD trio
CeeDee Lamb is one of two players in Cowboys history to score touchdowns by reception, rush and kickoff return, and he's the first rookie to accomplish that feat. Only Amos Marsh (1962) was able to score in those three ways for the Cowboys. Lamb is also the Cowboys' leader in punt returns and no player in team history has scored a touchdown in four different ways in one season.
Cowboys haven't won last four season-finales since 1980
A win by the Cowboys would give them four straight season-finale victories in Week 17 – all against NFC East opponents. The last time the Cowboys were able to wrap up a regular season with a win in four consecutive years – was 40 years ago. The Cowboys finished up the seasons from 1977-80 with four straight wins, heading into the playoffs every season. So far, the Cowboys have only advanced to the playoffs once since 2017 despite winning the last game.
