Mike McCarthy says Cowboys need to improve ahead of Week 10 matchup vs Giants

The Dallas Cowboys have the opportunity to extend one of the longest home-winning streaks in the league on Sunday when they welcome the floundering 2-7 New York Giants to AT&T Stadium. The streak, which is now up to 11 games, extends back to the 2021 season.

Homefield advantage has played an important role for Dallas over the last three seasons. At home, they receive far fewer penalties and they’ve outscored opponents by a 111-33 margin so far this season.

“I think it’s important coming out of this (Eagles) game, this was a heavyweight fight,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said this week. “We’ve got some guys we’ve gotta be smart with… And now we get another division game, so it’s important for us to get back in the win column and keep that home-field advantage going.”

The hangover from such a close loss to their divisional rivals has the potential to send the Cowboys reeling at a time when they can’t afford it. Already behind the Eagles by 2.5 games, they need to win every game from now until their rematch in December.

“I think the biggest thing in this type of game is really keeping your eye on the ball,” McCarthy said of not playing down to the Giants’ level on Sunday. “We need to get win No. 6.” 

The Cowboys had the opportunity to beat Philadelphia on Sunday but unforced errors and some unfavorable officiating let it slip through their fingers. McCarthy doesn’t want to see his team making the same mistakes against New York. The last time the two teams met, Dallas delivered with a 40-0 beatdown.

“We need to improve from last week,” McCarthy said. “Our emphasis is on the details and the little things. The fact we’re playing at home is very important for us, and we just need to take care of business.”

Cowboys facing Giants after Daniel Jones’ injury

The New York Giants lost quarterback Daniel Jones for the season last week as the former Duke star suffered an ACL tear against the Raiders. Jones has been repeatedly banged up all season long behind one of the worst offensive lines in league history. He’s suffered a number of different injuries and while it seemed inevitable for him to get seriously injured, it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach for Giants fans.

The Giants offensive line has allowed 49 total sacks in nine games, according to StatMuse. That ranks them dead last in the National Football League. The Giants’ issues at quarterback and with the offensive line has resulted in New York posting the fewest points per game in the league this season (11.2 ppg).

Once Jones exited the game on Sunday, former Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito took his place, throwing a touchdown and two interceptions in the blowout loss.

Giants’ backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor is currently on injured reserve with a rib injury, which means DeVito will get the call again on Sunday against Dallas.