Cowboys take advantage of defense to win on Thanksgiving Day over Giants

ARLINGTON, Texas — For the Dallas Cowboys, Thanksgiving offered a small chance to save their season. For the New York Giants, it was more of the same in a lost season.

The Cowboys won a home game for the first time in 334 days, beating the Giants 27-20 at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys avoided their third 0-6 start in a home season, which would have tied the two worst teams in franchise history, 1960 and 1989. The Cowboys’ last home win had been on December 30 2023, against the Detroit Lions, but since then they had lost six in a row at AT&T Stadium, including playoffs, and were down by at least 20 points in all of those games, an NFL record.

At 5-7, the Cowboys can’t be considered playoff contenders yet, but their next two games are against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) and Carolina Panthers (3-8). Dallas has won consecutive games for the second time this season.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys had their first double-digit home lead at any time since Week 14 of last season against the Philadelphia Eagles. That may not seem like much until you consider that the Cowboys went undefeated at AT&T Stadium in 2023.

Here’s what you need to know for both teams:

Fundamental game: DeMarvion Overshown changed the tenor of the game in the second quarter one play after the Cowboys cut the Giants’ lead to 7-6 with a field goal. Attacking from Drew Lock’s right, Overshown popped Devin Singletary and then deflected Lock’s throw into the running back. Without missing a step, Overshown returned the interception 23 yards for the Cowboys’ first defensive touchdown of the season and gave them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Giants didn’t sniff the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, when Overshown’s play seemed to revitalize the defense.

Promising trend: Since making Rico Dowdle the undisputed leader, the Cowboys’ running game has improved. He became the first Cowboys running back with 100 yards in a game since Tony Pollard in Week 3, ending the franchise’s 26-game streak. A 17-yard run in the fourth quarter put Dowdle over the hundred mark for the first time in his career. He also recorded his first rushing touchdown of the season and a 22-yard gain all season. And he did all of this without two starters on the offensive line for most of the game (Zack Martin, Tyler Guyton). This occurred four days after an 86-yard outing against the Washington Commanders.

Most surprising performance: CeeDee Lamb, who entered as the NFL’s leader in receptions, had more drops than receptions in the first half. He became the first Cowboys pass catcher with at least three drops in a half in the last 15 years, according to ESPN Research. He had two catches for 39 yards in the first half. Lamb saw his NFL record of 44 consecutive games with at least four receptions come to an end. Lamb had four drops in the first 11 games combined this season. -Todd Archer

Next match: vs. Bengals (8:15 p.m. ET, Dec. 9)

Somehow, things just keep getting worse for the Giants. They were defeated for the second week in a row, only this time it was on national television during Thanksgiving dinner so the entire nation could watch against the division rival Cowboys.

New York’s offense still struggled with Drew Lock, the team’s third starting quarterback in three games. The Giants also lost star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to an elbow injury.

Owner John Mara could have given a vote of confidence to coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen a little more than a month ago, but the Giants haven’t won since and have now lost seven straight games. Coach and GM seats are hot.

QB Breakdown: Does it really matter who the quarterback is? It was Lock’s turn on Thanksgiving to take a beating. Lock completed 21 of 32 passes for 172 yards, along with a fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown, and had 57 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He also took 13 QB hits and six sacks behind a pair of backup tackles. Like previous Giants quarterbacks, he didn’t have much of a chance.

Prediction for next week: Tommy DeVito returns as starting quarterback. She underwent an MRI on her forearm on Wednesday and it came back clean, according to a source. DeVito had a bad bruise. Now, with 10 days until they play the Saints again, he has a realistic chance of returning for the next game. After Lock’s beating on Thanksgiving Day, the Giants might need DeVito.

Surprising Statistic: The Giants had their first lead at 371:57. New York had not led since beating the Seattle Seahawks on October 6. That’s six full games and almost a quarter that they were without a lead until Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter put them ahead 7.-3. It didn’t last long. The Giants led by 6:22 on Thursday before Dallas regained the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Worrying trend: The Giants tackle. Putrid from the beginning. Five tackles were missed on the opening drive alone, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. They missed 11 tackles in the first half. This is not an isolated case either. He’s been a problem for New York all season. –Jordan Raanan

Next match: vs. Saints (1 p.m. ET, December 8)