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GAMEDAY: Cowboys vs. Giants - Recovery Time?

GAMEDAY: Dallas in NFL Week 5 vs. New York Giants - With 3/4 of their season remaining... Can the Cowboys recover?

The Dallas Cowboys are hoping to find their non-existent defense in Week 5 against the New York Giants. Two first-year coaches (Giants' Joe Judge and Cowboys' Mike McCarthy) clash in an NFC East matchup in Dallas. The Cowboys look to again unleash the No. 1 total offense in the NFL, lead by quarterback Dak Prescott, who is on pace to shatter Tony Romo's single-season franchise passing record.

With three-fourths of their season remaining ... Can the Cowboys recover?

RECORDS: Cowboys (1-3), Giants (0-4)

ODDS: Dallas is a 9.5-point favorite and the over/under is 54 points.

BETTING TRENDS: The Cowboys are 0-4 against the spread this season. 

CHEER OR BOO: A familiar face will be on the opposite sideline in former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. Garrett was a member of the Cowboys organization beginning in 2007 and head coach from 2011-19. Will Cowboys fans at AT&T Stadium cheer or boo the now Giants offensive coordinator? 

"The biggest thing we’re all focused on is what we can do to help the New York Giants play as well as we can play," Garrett told reporters. "It was a great time in my life. I’m forever appreciative of that, forever grateful of that."

FUN FACT: The Giants haven’t scored a touchdown in their last two games. New York is averaging an NFL-worst 11.8 points per game.

NOT-SO-FUN FACT: The Cowboys have spent a total of 11 offensive plays with the lead in 2020... OUCH. 

[RELATED: Xavier Woods Explains - And Admits - Cowboys 'Lack Of Effort']

DALLAS KEY TO VICTORY: CLEAN IT UP

The Cowboys rank dead-last in the NFL with nine giveaways and a -7 turnover margin. No doubt, the sloppy play has piled onto the defensive woes. Dallas' 146 points are the most allowed through four games in franchise history. This week is the Cowboys chance to get back on track vs. a less-than-lethal Giants offense but the Cowboys need to play mistake-free. 

"We're turning the ball over, giving them short fields, and putting them in position to go score and get leads on us," Running back Ezekiel Elliott said. "We've just got to take care of the ball early in the game."

INJURY UPDATE FROM PRACTICE: All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith will undergo season-ending surgery on his neck. 

"Tyron has done any and everything he possibly can do to play,'' Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "The facts are, he’s a 10-year veteran. Surgery at this time is important for the rest of his career.”

Also, starting offensive lineman Joe Looney (knee) is out for Sunday. A guy to watch: Rookie center Tyler Biadasz, making what might be the first of many career starts. 

And another possible change, as Fish describes in the video above: Donovan Wilson taking over at safety?

OPTIMISM: The NFC East's atrocious combined record 3-12-1 means that Dallas still has a solid chance at taking the division crown with a shot at a postseason run.

GAME TIME: 3:25 p.m. CT, Sunday, Oct. 11th

LOCATION: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

TV/RADIO: CBS (featuring Tony Romo in the booth), 105.3 The Fan (including our own Mike Fisher on the pre- and postgame shows.)

THE FINAL WORD: “You’ve got to be really careful when you start challenging professional athletes about effort, especially from a distance. “We don’t have an effort issue.” - Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.