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Which player do you think will be the difference-maker when the Cowboys host the Giants on Sunday night?
Whenever the Dallas Cowboys face the New York Giants there’s always something crazy that happens. Whether it’s Dez Bryant’s finger landing out of bounds, Jason Pierre-Paul blocking a Dan Bailey field goal, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie running down the sidelines for a defensive touchdown, or Tony Romo hitting Jason Witten in the closing seconds of the game - it always seems to be complete madness.
Of course, we won’t see any of that on Sunday because none of those players are playing in the game. That’s right, they’re gone. All of them.
While those players have bounced, there will be no shortage of playmakers in this game. All it takes is one jump-cut and star running backs Ezekiel Elliott or Saquon Barkley will be off to the races. And we all know what wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and punter Chris Jones can do when they get in space. They’re electric!
But who’s going to come up big in this game? Here are four X-Factor candidates for Sunday night’s contest.
Michael Sisemore: Cole Beasley
Beasley needs to be that slow death that Jason Witten used to provide this team. The Giants are going to consume themselves with stopping Ezekiel Elliott. That means Landon Collins will be in the box because he has to. It’s too tall a task for New York’s linebackers and there’s not much sealing the edge without Olivier Vernon though their DT’s are still holding down the middle. With corners Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple on the perimeters, look for former Cowboys draft pick, B.W. Webb, to cover Cole Beasley in the slot. I’m not calling for 100+ receiving yards from Beasley but he has a huge opportunity to be the mover of the sticks. The Cowboys aren’t winning this game if they have a repeat of week one in the passing game. Cole Beasley has the best chance to keep this offense alive when it’s needed most.
The last time Beasley faced the Giants in AT&T he was just showing off.
Cole Beasley had a great catch last night vs Giants. He pulled off his OBJ impression with this play. OBJ could only watch and be shocked. pic.twitter.com/x7DiYeg6hz
— ✭ Cowboy X Factor (@CowboyXFactor) September 11, 2017
Tom Ryle: Taco Charlton
With Randy Gregory likely out, look for Taco to get the start at RDE, opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. The Giants know just what a threat DeMarcus Lawrence is, and they will have to give Ereck Flowers some help. That means Charlton is going to be seeing a lot of one-on-one blocking, and that is not good news for Eli Manning. We have been looking for Charlton to have a break-out game, and this is a near perfect situation for him. He has Nate Solder to work against. Solder is certainly a better tackle than Flowers, but Taco showed signs of improvement in the Panthers game. He will know that the Giants will be focused on Lawrence, and in Manning, he basically has a stationary target to get after. Look for him to get a sack and putting pressure on Eli all game. That will make Manning uncomfortable, and we all know what happens when that is the case.
Dave Halprin: Tavon Austin
The Cowboys failed to get Austin involved in a meaningful way in Week 1. He did have a nice screen at the start wiped out by penalty, but besides a jet sweep that went nowhere he saw very little of the football. This week, he’s going to have at least one big play. Somehow the Cowboys will get him the ball in space, whether on a screen, a play out of the backfield, even a regular old pass, and Austin will make magic happen. Heck, it might even come on a punt return. It’s not going to be a consistent thing, but Austin will have some big plays that will affect the outcome positively for Dallas.
The last time Austin faced the Giants, he had six carries for 34 yards, and the Cowboys could use some plays like this on Sunday night.
Danny Phantom: Anthony Brown
The Cowboys will win this game if they can just limit big plays. While in the past, Odell Beckham Jr. is the one guy who caused the most concern, but the Giants now have a few offensive weapons that can cause the defense problems. The Giants last two first-round draft picks, Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram, are athletic players who can hurt you if not properly defended.
But while all the attention is being put on these stars, it’s the sneaky craftiness of Sterling Shepard that should cause concern. Shepard can be a chains mover and is very effective out of the slot. Cowboys nickel corner Anthony Brown is going to have his work cut out for him this week. Of course, Brown can be sneaky himself and jump routes if he gets a good read on a play. He’s been very good against the Giants as two of his three career interceptions have come against the boys in blue.
Shepard is going to win some battles, but all it takes is one slip up by Eli to show what Brown can do for you.
What a play by Anthony Brown to pick that ball off. Giants were driving with a ton of momentum, too. pic.twitter.com/8PArrMaVjE
— Reece Waddell (@ReeceWaddell15) December 12, 2016
Jourdan Lewis didn’t play a single defensive snap last week so we can probably table the idea that he is going to be the team’s nickel corner. For now, it’s Brown’s job and a good performance on Sunday night could spoil a Giants drive.
Which player do you think will be the difference maker in this game? Hit us up in the comments with your X-Factor player of the game.
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