NFL

Thursday Night Football Week 4: Cowboys vs. Giants Picks, Predictions, & Best Player Props Bets

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Colin Lynch
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Colin Lynch Sports Editor

Colin Lynch covers the NFL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the New England Patriots. His sports coverage has been featured on Finixio's The Sports Daily and Basketball Insiders, as well as FanSided's Chowder & Champions. A New Hampshire native and former D1 baseball player at St. John's University, Colin was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 and enjoyed a four-year professional baseball career.

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Published4 hours ago on September 25, 2024

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Cowboys vs. Giants Picks, Predictions, & Best Player Props Bets

Thursday Night Football in Week 4 features the Cowboys vs. Giants in an NFC East battle. Check out our Cowboys vs. Giants Picks, Predictions, and Best Player Props. 

The start of the 2024 season has not gone according to plan for the Cowboys or the Giants. For Dallas, a team brimming with NFC East aspirations, the journey so far has been rocky. Now sitting at 1-2 as they head into Week 4, the Cowboys are coming off a deflating home loss to the Ravens. What began with hope is quickly veering into uncertainty.

The Giants, on the other hand, are beginning to find a spark after a difficult opening stretch. Their 21-15 victory in Cleveland marked their first win of the season, a hard-fought road win following two straight losses. It wasn’t perfect, but it was promising—a step forward in a season that still holds potential.

Cowboys vs. Giants Betting Preview

All Cowboys vs. Giants odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

  • Spread
    Cowboys -6
  • Moneyline
    Cowboys -270 | Giants +220
  • Over/Under
    44.5
  • Game time
    8:15 p.m. ET
  • Location
    MetLife Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ
  • Predicted Weather at Kick
    72 degrees, Partly Cloudy – 30% Chance of Rain
  • How to Watch
    Amazon Prime Video

Check out all of our NFL picks and best picks here! 

Cowboys vs. Giants Picks, Predictions, and Best Player Prop Bets

It’s tough to pinpoint exactly what’s gone wrong for the Dallas defense, but the once-proud unit has unraveled ever since Dan Quinn departed to take the head coaching job in Washington. The Cowboys have allowed 33, 44, and 28 points in their first three games of the season—a staggering collapse for a team that prided itself on defensive prowess. To make matters worse, the last two of those losses came at home, where the Dallas defense has simply been unable to find its footing.

For a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations, it’s a troubling sign. What was once a cornerstone of their success has become their Achilles heel.

When looking at the total, it’s hard to support an over in the Giants game, but the numbers suggest it could be a play.

Since the 2023 season, the Cowboys have been efficient in the red zone, scoring 44 touchdowns—ranking them fifth in the league. On the other side, the Giants have struggled when backed up against their own goal line, allowing 39 touchdowns in that same span, tied for sixth-most in the NFL.

The Giants have leaned on the passing game more than most, throwing on 56% of their plays this season, tied for the seventh-highest rate in the league. But that might play into a potential weakness of the Cowboys, who have surrendered 7.4 yards per dropback this season—among the worst in the league.

If the ‘Boys are going to succeed in the red zone and the Giants will be able to move the football through the air, the over in this one starts looking interesting. But taking an over in an NFC East battle is always scary.

The Cowboys’ secondary is hard to get past. With Malike Naber’s ability to stretch the field now and open things up for Brian Dabol, Daniel Jones, and this Giants offense, it feels like the Giants are going to move the ball on the Boys on Thursday night. I think the G-Men will score, and I think the Boys will move the football. I like this over.

Zeke Elliot Over/ Under 1.5 Receptions (-110)

The Cowboys’ struggles aren’t limited to their defense. Their running game has been equally ineffective, further compounding their issues. Against New Orleans, Dallas managed just 21 rushes for 68 yards, followed by a mere 51 yards on 16 carries against Baltimore. In both matchups, the Cowboys were dominated in the trenches, unable to generate any momentum on the ground.

For a team that once prided itself on physicality, getting outmuscled on both sides of the ball has raised serious concerns about their ability to compete in the NFC.

So, how can the boys slow down the pass rush and get something out of their running backs? Through the air. Zeke has four catches combined in his last two games, and the Boys will have to do more of it to stop the opposing rush from getting upfield so quickly.

I like Zeke to have OVER 2 catches on Thursday night.

Dak Prescott Over/ Under 7.5 Rushing Yards (-110)

This one is also a bit scary due to the lack of protection provided by the Cowboy’s offensive line. But Prescott has been getting rid of the ball quickly, so I’m not super worried about him taking 3+ sacks and losing him a bunch of yardage.

I think Prescott is another weapon that can help out this running attack for Dallas. The Giants will be in man coverage quite a bit, which matches Dak up with a linebacker when the G-Men rush four. Prescott will have to extend plays with his legs and grab some first downs on the ground to help the Cowboys not rely on the pass so much in this one. I like this Prescott rushing yards OVER play.

The Prediction: Cowboys 27 – Giants 23

Best Bets:

  • Over 44.5
  • Zeke Elliot OVER 1.5 Receptions (-110)
  • Dak Prescott OVER 7.5 Rushing Yards (-110)