Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants 2016: Prediction, Betting Odds For Week 14 Sunday Night Football

With a quarter of the 2016 NFL season still remaining, the Dallas Cowboys are set to take another step in their quest to reach their first Super Bowl in two decades. “America’s Team” can clinch the NFC East title with a win over the New York Giants on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 14.

It would be only fitting for Dallas to win the division at MetLife Stadium. The Giants are the only team that has stood in between the Cowboys and perfection, having handed their rivals their only loss of the year in Week 1. But Dallas has proven to be much better over the course of the season, and they should be able to avenge their previous loss to New York.

Dallas will have an extra three days’ rest, having defeated the Minnesota Vikings on “Thursday Night Football” for a win in Week 13. It was the team’s 11th consecutive win, and the Cowboys’ sixth victory against a team with a .500 record or better.

New York entered Week 13 hoping that they’d have a chance to retake first place with a second win against Dallas. The Giants, however, lost by 10 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping their first game since Week 5. It was a significant loss for New York, further indicating that their record is largely a product of their strength of schedule.

The Giants had previously won six games in a row, beating up on some of the NFL’s worst teams. Only one of those victories came against a team that had a winning record, and four of those wins came at the expense of teams that have just four wins or fewer. After losing to a potential Super Bowl contender in Pittsburgh, New York’s odds of beating the NFC’s best team are not favorable.

Las Vegas and online sportsbooks list the Giants as three-point underdogs at home. New York has won close games against inferior competition on its way to the conference's third-best record, but their offense has struggled all season long. If the final score approaches the over/under of 47.5, it likely won’t be as a result of New York’s ability to move the ball, and it might mean an easy win for Dallas.

Scoring just 14 points last week, the Giants dropped to 26th in total offense. Dallas ranks fourth in offense after facing the NFL’s No.3 defense, and it probably won’t take a big offensive performance to win in New York.

Odell Beckham Jr. continued to play like the Pro Bowler that he is in the team’s Week 13 loss, catching 10 passes for 100 yards. But he’s been New York’s only consistent player in 2016.

Eli Manning ranks 22nd among 32 starters in passer rating, and none of his targets other than Beckham rank in the top 66 in receiving. Rashad Jennings is New York’s leading rusher, and 31 other NFL players have more than his 414 yards on the ground. Combine all of that with a struggling offensive line, and the Giants have a unit that will have trouble keeping up with a Dallas offense that’s led by two MVP candidates.

The Giants have proven that they can defeat the Cowboys in a low-scoring contest. In the season opener, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a season-low 51 yards and Dak Prescott had a season-low 69.4 passer rating.

The two rookies, however, have been unstoppable since losing to New York in their debut, and it’s asking a lot of New York to shut them both down for the second time this year.

Prediction: Dallas over New York, 27-17