Giants Open as Underdogs vs. Cowboys

The New York Giants enjoyed two straight weeks of being the favorite team in their matchups against the Texans (a win) and Lions (a bad loss) by the odds makers.

Well, as Willie Nelson once crooned, "The Party's Over" as the Giants, following an ugly, mistake-filled 31-18 loss to the Detroit Lions, find themselves an 8.5 underdog against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, a game the Giants will be playing on the road.

Those odds come as no surprise, though, as besides the bad loss to the Lions, the Giants have about six known injuries, many to key starters like cornerbacks Adoree' Jackson (knee) and Fabian Moreau (rib), receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (knee), and center Jon Feliciano (neck).

Those are in addition to injuries to tight end Daniel Bellinger (eye) and outside linebacker Azeez Ojualri (calf/IR), both of whom aren't likely to be ready to go by Thursday.

Also of concern is the prospect of opposing defenses copying the formula the Lions deployed to completely remove running back Saquon Barkley from the equation. As has already been proven in two of the Giants' three losses this season, without a running game, the Giants' offense has an uphill battle to move the chains, a battle made worse by its lack of elite receivers.

That said, the game isn't about to be postponed or canceled because the Giants have problems with their roster and are coming off one of their worst losses of the season. All year long, many people, including us here at Giants Country, have touted the job done by the coaching staff in terms of creativity and approach as being among the best in the NFL.

This week is a new challenge for head coach Brian Daboll and his staff, who won't be able to hold a traditional practice given the short turnaround compounded by the travel. The staff will have to tap into the mental side of things with the players to get them ready.

Can they pull it off in what's a key NFC East matchup the Giants need to win if they're to cancel out the head-to-head tiebreaker the Cowboys currently have over them?

The odds makers don't seem to think so, but this Giants team has surprised before.

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