The why is self-explanatory, and you’re well-versed in the where and when at this point in time. With the NFL calendar engaged in rare doldrums and most moves made and archived, it’s time to consider the who from a New York Giants perspective.
Giants On SI continues its look at the Giants’ upcoming adversaries in the 2024 season. Catch up with each team’s moves, where they stand, and, most importantly, how to beat them.
Who: Dallas Cowboys
When: Week 4, Thursday, Sept. 26 (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video)/Thursday, Nov. 28 (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ/AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Series History: DAL leads 75-47-2 (Last: 49-17 DAL, 11/2023)
After yet another promising season rendered null by a postseason no-show, change finally seemed to be on the horizon for America’s Team. But after some sizable bluster, the Cowboys wound up taking in the offseason as spectators and will mostly run the same team back … albeit with one notable exception: defensive coordinator Dan Quinn returned to the head coaching ranks when division rival Washington reached out, and he took a good bit of recurring characters (i.e., Dorance Armstrong, Tyler Biadasz) with him.
In fact, in terms of a franchise timeline, the Cowboys have moved backward, calling upon past heroes like Ezekiel Elliott and Mike Zimmer to fulfill the respective roles of primary running back and Quinn’s successor. Elliott is back in North Texas after an underwhelming sabbatical in New England, while Zimmer returns to the NFL after his head coaching tenure in Minnesota fizzled out after 2021.
The Giants, however, really aren’t in any position to laugh: for all their flaws, the Cowboys have handled business against New York, winning each of the last six meetings. Last year’s couple was particularly embarrassing, with the Cowboys winning both games by a combined 72-point margin. Dallas is also, perhaps shockingly, the NFL’s second-winningest team since 2021, as their 36 regular season victories are behind only the mighty Kansas City Chiefs.
The Dallas discussion begins and ends with Dak Prescott, who seems to be entering yet another make-or-break season. He’ll at least have the comfort of having almost all of his top weapons back: while CeeDee Lamb’s holdout is worth monitoring, each of Dallas’ top three receivers is set to put a star back on their helmet. Brandin Cooks didn’t fully make up for the loss of Amari Cooper but was efficient enough as Lamb’s sidekick, while tight end Jake Ferguson put forth a Pro Bowl effort.
Defensively, it’s not like Zimmer will be hurting for talent: the presence of Micah Parsons speaks for itself, and pick-six merchant DaRon Bland is set to join Trevon Diggs, who’s back from injury after Stephon Gilmore was not brought back.
The Cowboys’ most notable veteran upgrade was acquiring Eric Kendricks from the Los Angeles Chargers. Kendricks should shore up the middle after a brutal run defense effort in the NFC Wild Card Game, especially after first-round pick Mazi Smith left something to be desired in his debut season.
Who’s In: OG Cooper Beebee (D3-73), RB Ezekiel Elliott (FA-NE), RB Royce Freeman (FA-LAR), OT Tyler Guyton (D1-29), LB Eric Kendricks (FA-LAC), DE Marshawn Kneeland (D2-56), LB Marist Liufau (D3-87)
Who’s Out: DE Dorance Armstrong (FA-WAS), C Tyler Biadasz (FA-WAS), DE Dante Fowler (FA-WAS), DT Neville Gallimore (FA-MIA), WR Michael Gallup (Retired), DT Jonathan Hankins (FA-SEA), RB Tony Pollard (FA-TEN), OT Tyron Smith (FA-NYJ), LB Leighton Vander Esch (Retired)
The less said about the Giants’ more recent excursions against the Cowboys, the better. Big Blue has shrunk against Dallas, posting a 1-7 mark in the current decade. The lone win was at least somewhat memorable, a 23-19 slugfest in the final week of the 2020-21 season, but that is mostly remembered for keeping the division title hopes of a 6-10 Giants alive before Philadelphia rested starters against the primary competition, a group then known as the Washington Football Team.
While the rivalry has turned one-sided, the Giants have at least had the decency to turn their wins over Dallas into championships, as each of New York’s last two Super Bowl wins were kickstarted by wins over the Cowboys.
The lone postseason meeting between the two teams to date was a 21-17 blue victory in the 2007-08 NFC divisional round, one that saw a strong defensive effort shut down a high-flying Dallas offense before Brandon Jacobs punched in the game-winning score. New York, of course, then went on to ruin the New England Patriots’ perfect season in Super Bowl XLII.
Four seasons later, a regular season sweep of Dallas catapulted the Giants into the 2011-12 tournament, which featured another championship victory over the Patriots. The former triumph was a 37-34 decision in Arlington that saw the Giants erase a two-possession lead with just over three minutes remaining.
Perhaps nothing defined the Cowboys’ offseason downfall better than the fact that they were forced to go crawling back to Elliott after some fans likely put down payments on Derrick Henry jerseys. Behind Elliott lies a hodgepodge of projects (Deuce Vaughn) and vets (Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman) that don’t exactly inspire fear.
Prescott may have lingered in MVP consideration last season, but there’s no doubt that he performs just a bit better if there’s a reliable rusher behind him. Dallas was 1-3 when Prescott was forced to throw the ball at least 40 times last season, and that record plummets to 8-17 throughout his career.
But Dallas knows how to counter that, at least in low-pressure situations: the Cowboys’ arsenal often allows them to prevail when the defense is at least halfway on its game and tight end like Ferguson threatens to cause all kinds of familiar trouble for a Giants franchise that has historically struggled with tight ends.
With that in mind, any Giant counter effort should force the Cowboys into a situation where they need to rely on the run game more to pull off a win. Stopping Lamb, Ferguson, and Cooks is perhaps a little too much to ask for but if they can force Dallas in short yardage situations where Elliott is rendered just the slightest bit more necessary, they’re going to be much better off.
Giants fans are likely tired of seeing the same names populate the Dallas offensive line year after year, but there are finally signs of relenting with Biadasz and Smith gone. As it stands, Zack Martin is perhaps the final holdover from the old Dallas guard, and he certainly isn’t getting any younger.
But the fact of the matter is that the line change is almost complete.
While Dallas has found reasonable substitutions in some areas (Tyler Smith has lived up to first-round billing, Terence Steele has been fine enough, each on the outside), they have question marks in areas long spoken for: interior depth man Brock Hoffman is penciled in as the starting center and, while there’s hope for early draft picks Tyler Smith and Cooper Beebee, teams will no doubt try to exploit their inexperience in the early going.
Considering that the Giants’ pass rush and front seven are among the most, if not the most, developed areas on the team, it’ll be imperative to build on that early inexperience and make a throwback Dallas backfield uncomfortable.
The Dallas-Fort Worth economy is ending 2025 in a much different manner than it began.
In a year that started with all eyes on Washington, D.C. and an incoming (and repeat) Trump Administration, North Texas carved its own path, reshaping the business landscape for years to come. Here are a few of the biggest stories of 2025:
Once a bellwether of the retail world, Plano-based JCPenney in January said that it was merging with Sparc Group to form Catalyst Brands, bringing in names such as Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica.
Longtime Dallas-based luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus, which was acquired in 2024 by Saks Global, announced and then unannounced that it would close its iconic downtown department store. The move was a blow to downtown leaders and city officials in an era when the central business district is being displaced as the region’s business and cultural epicenter.
Texas became the hotbed for the data center boom this year, with dozens of companies announcing plans for these energy-sucking, AI-enabling facilities. Gasoline was thrown on an already sizzling market when OpenAi announced its Stargate initiative in February. This adds to major North Texas data center projects from players such as Meta, Google and Nvidia partners Aligned and Wistron.
After more than six years of discussions — delayed by new economic realities after the COVID-19 pandemic — DFW International Airport and American Airlines finalized a deal for a super-sized $4 billion Terminal F, the first new terminal since 2005. The upsized plans will include 31 new gates, exclusively occupied by Fort Worth-based American. The first phase should open in 2027.
Celebrity TV problem solver Phil McGraw saw his North Texas-based startup Merit Street Media crumble in 2025 and file for bankruptcy, starting a contentious, fireworks-filled and often baffling court battle with partners such as Professional Bull Riders and Trinity Broadcasting Network. It was more entertaining than the famous Dr. Phil “Cash Me Outside” episode.
Dallas-based banking giant Comerica was purchased by Ohio’s Fifth Third Bancorp in a $10.9 billion deal. Fifth Third was essentially buying its way into the Texas market, alongside branches in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas.
These are just a few of the major storylines. There is also the drama about a Dallas ranch real estate agent killed by a buffalo during a hunt in South Africa, numerous real estate deals and residential expansions, arena searches by Dallas’ NBA and NHL teams that turned into a soap opera. A Muslim-centric development near Josephine gained national notoriety from politicians railing against the project.
National economic storylines such as international import tariffs and more aggressive national immigration enforcement efforts all reshaped the North Texas economy, too.
One thing was consistent. The Dallas-Fort Worth economy kept chugging along, adding some 42,600 jobs between the beginning of the year and the end of the third quarter. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It’s difficult to look back over a year of meals and pick one bite that outdid the rest. It’s an especially difficult exercise if you eat and cook for a living.
We asked a handful of North Texas chefs and restaurateurs to do exactly that, though, and tell us what they ate this year that surpassed everything else.
Their answers are a de facto list of what and where to eat in the coming year.
Here are nine North Texas chefs and restaurateurs on their favorite bites in 2025:
“All the sides at a little place called Soulfood Street Bites (Addison). Their pork fried ribs are insanely delicious. I’m almost afraid to let people know about this place because they’re already so busy!”
Bonus bites: Hams Orchard peaches in Terrell. Grilled leeks at Pillar in Dallas.
Texapolitan Pizza’s cheese pie
Jay Jerrier
“I have my Hall of Fame places that I eat ALL THE TIME like Muchacho and Asian Mint, but the dish that haunts me is the plain cheese pie from Texapolitan Pizza. It’s the only place I’ll eat pizza from in D-FW that’s not my own. As good as anything in New York.”
Bonus bites: 30 Clove Rigatoni and the ricotta toast from Misti Pasta in Brooklyn. Heirloom tomato and cucumber panzanella from Met Him at a Bar in Los Angeles. Creme brulee doughnut from Bread Ahead in London.
“Focaccia and butter at Osteria il Muro in Denton. Our fave restaurant in the Metroplex. We always get their specials and the ragu, but as a fellow restaurant that makes their own focaccia, we really love theirs. It’s warm and fluffy and perfectly seasoned. Maybe it’s because we’re not working/cooking, but we always cherish it when we go!”
Bonus bites: Cast iron cheddar cornbread and leek butter from Odd Duck in Austin. Jamon buerre from Rudemouth in New York City. Tiramisu at I Cavellini in New York City.
“The gorgonzola ravioli at Via Triozzi was one of the best pastas I’ve ever had. I really enjoyed it and think about it often.”
Gorgonzola, pear and walnut ravioli at Via Triozzi in Dallas
Daniel Gerona
“The Lobster jar from Enoteca Italia. It’s amazing. That bread is on another level.”
“The most memorable bite of food I had was a lobster brown-butter soup dumpling my friend and I made using leftover Thanksgiving lobster. We finished it with caviar. The idea came to life almost by accident. Our brown butter kept solidifying every 30 minutes, so we’d set the bowl by the fireplace to warm it back up.”
“Pokemon menu at Midnight Rambler. Sea urchin with trout roe at Shoyo. Mushrooms at Mirador. And if I’m allowed, the risotto tart with blue cheese ice cream at Rye.”
“I think about the pickles from Fond maybe three times a week. Crybaby sourdough is a new fave also. I ate an entire loaf after my Christmas party with just butter and vibes.”
The pickles at Fond in Dallas, which are made with garlic, crushed red chilies, mustard seeds, dried dill, peppercorn and bay leaf.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
“The lobster au poivre at Le Cou Cou in NYC. The oft-imitated dish is a signature of theirs and it was perfect! It appeals to all my French-trained sensibilities and then some.”
Bonus bite: Green curry ice cream made by chef Byron Gomez for the Drifter Dinner Series at Quarter Acre.
(Editor’s Note: Who doesn’t love lists? Throughout the season, ‘High 5’ will provide a top five list for many of the critical topics surrounding the Dallas Cowboys 2025 season.)
With the Dallas Cowboys officially eliminated from the playoff picture, it is now true evaluation time for the entire roster. This is a team that just landed five players on the Pro Bowl roster, with multiple reliable starters that were just outside the list of contenders. Meaning there is still talent on the roster to build upon for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
One of the biggest questions about the roster has to do with the depth at certain positions of need. Dallas stacks up nicely when it comes to the offensive weapons and promising defensive prospects.
Another year, another young backup quarterback with questions surrounding his future with the franchise. Last season, it was Trey Lance, this year it’s Joe Milton. Dallas traded a 2025 fifth-round pick for Milton in April and have yet to see what he can really do as a backup in this organization.
In just his second year out of Tennessee, Milton’s contribution in the regular season was an incredible Week 18 performance last season, a touchdown pass late against the Broncos, and a fumble late in the game against the Chargers. Now, it appears Dak Prescott will play most of the remaining snaps, but this may be the best chance to give legitimate work to a backup quarterback who could use it.
With all the investments made up front for the Cowboys interior defensive line, there is a clear outlook of where the team is headed at the position. Think about it this way, since Jay Toia joined the team in the 2025 NFL Draft, Dallas has added Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Perrion Winfrey at the position group alone.
In his rookie season, Toia has three combined tackles, one QB hit, and five appearances. His last active appearance for the team was in Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders. As a seventh-round pick, he may only have the final two games of the regular season to prove his worth to a growingly busy defensive tackle rotation.
After a promising stint in the preseason with 15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown, Phil Mafah was just on the outside of the Cowboys crowded running back room when Dallas shelved him on Injured Reserve with a shoulder issue. He had suffered a torn labrum in his final season with the Clemson Tigers and possibly carried that over into his time in Dallas.
Mafah is an interesting case because when he was competing for reps in training camp, he was doing so against a full room of prospects who hoped to become the starter. Of course, it was Javonte Williams that emerged as the team’s primary back, while the only other running back that has seen success in 2025 is Malik Davis. Meaning a roster spot for 2026 is very much so on the table for the bigger-bodied tailback.
When the Cowboys traded a 2025 fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo, it was right in the middle of their hunt for a sustainable WR2 option. Since then, George Pickens and Ryan Flournoy have stepped into a solid second and third wide receiver role, while Mingo and Jalen Tolbert have struggled to stay on the active roster.
Mingo finished 2024 with five receptions on 16 targets for 46 yards, with the anticipation that he’d get more playing time and run with the first team guys in 2025. Not the case. He’s tallied only one reception on three targets for 25 yards and has been active for just four games. He is currently under contract for next season, but will need to take advantage of his very few opportunities to earn his spot on the roster.
Once a regular in the minds of Cowboys fans everywhere, Jaydon Blue quickly became an afterthought because of the emergence of Javonte Williams and Malik Davis this season. Instead of being a consistent change of pace runner in the Cowboys backfield, Williams has been inactive for all but four games this season. He registered a season-high eight carries for 29 yards in the blowout loss to Denver in Week 8.
Along the same lines as Phil Mafah, he’ll have just as much to prove going into this offseason than he did going into first season in the NFL. Ball security and pass protection were each reported as reasons that Blue was not a consistent presence in the lineup. He’ll have to show improvement in those categories, and use his athletic ability or speed to stand out.
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