Clarence Hill: 5 things the Dallas Cowboys need to do to beat the New York Giants

Quarterback Cooper Rush will make his second straight start for the Dallas Cowboys in place of the injured Dak Prescott Monday night against the New York Giants.

It’s the first time he has started back-to-back games since in college at Central Michigan in 2016.

While there is no guarantee he will continue his remarkable winning ways — Rush engineered game winning drives in his previous two career starts, last year against Minnesota Vikings and last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals — the Cowboys know what they are going to get from him.

He will be calm, cool and most pointedly, laid back, while also in complete control and in charge.

That’s who is and that’s who has always been.

“Generally yeah,” Rush said. “Like I said, I told them the other day, if you need a hype man or a hype speech, I’m not the guy. But in the huddle and out there try to stay in command, stay poised, that works at the quarterback position.”

What do the Cowboys need from him? Just to continue to play quarterback and run the offense.

“Well, Cooper is very consistent with a high level of confidence,” coach Mike McCarhty said. “There aren’t too many times like, ‘Well, we don’t want to do that.’ I think that’s so important in your No. 2, the ability to keep playing. When you have that, to me, that’s a reflection of a healthy quarterback room. And he definitely gives us that. I think that all starts with Dak. They emulate him and the way the scheme and menu is built. “But his consistency is a huge, huge asset for us.”

5 Things the Cowboys need to do win against the Giants Monday night.

Let Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard lead the way

The Cowboys got back to the basics against the Bengals and leaned on the ground game with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard behind multiple tight end sets.

Running the ball is what the Cowboys do best, especially with three new starters on the offensive line and Rush starting in place of the injured Dak Prescott.

Elliott’s stats were not pretty against the Bengals: 15 carries for 53 yards and one reception. But his presence was needed and effective, while allowing the Cowboys to establish a physical style.

The speedy Pollard benefited with nine carries for 43 yards and four receptions for 55 yards, including a long of 46 on a shovel pass from the backfield.

Owner Jerry Jones want to see more of both against the Giants.

“I would say that I’d like to see Zeke (get more carries) because it’s what he does to the defense, what he physically does,” Jones said. “Now, you say, well, doesn’t that take away from the obvious out there, Pollard, who made those big plays and can make those big plays.

“You can see the zip that (Pollard) adds to the offense, and we’ve just got to do both, we’ve got to take advantage of the fact that we’ve got both these guys ready that can really give that defense heck. I’d like to see both used about 20 percent more.”

Find a way to convert on third downs and get in red zone

Rush should be commended for having a solid performance in his first outing in place of Prescott last week, passing for 235 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals.

But what’s also true is that Cowboys converted only three of 10 third downs in the game, which is been a problem all season. The Cowboys are tied for worst in the NFL with a third-down conversion rate of 24 percent. They’ve also only reached the red zone twice all season.

Rush must find a way to move to chains and get more production out of the receiver corps. No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb has just nine catches for 104 yards and has yet to score.

But help is on the way Monday. Receiver Michael Gallup should make his season debut after missing the first two games rehabbing from a torn ACL. Gallup is the team’s best deep threat and should open up some passing lanes for Lamb.

Containing Saquon Barkley and Giants ground game

The Giants make no secret about what they want to do on offense. Running back Saquon Barkley is back to his old dominant ways and he is the engine as a power jump-cut runner and receiver on screens and swing passes.

He leads the league in rushing yards with 39 carries for 236 yards through two games. Barkley is big, fast and physical. The challenge is just containing him but getting him on the ground.

Linebackers Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch and Anthony Barr need to make firm tackles, as well as members of the secondary.

Stopping Barkley would force the ball into the hands of quarterback Daniel Jones, who has been efficient in 2022 but hasn’t been asked to do much. The Giants rank last in the NFL, averaging just 159 passing yards per game.

Get Jones in obvious passing situations and get after him with a relentless array of pass rushers, including Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler, Dorance Amstrong and Sam Williams.

Let Micah Parsons eat from all over the field

First and foremost, linebacker Micah Parsons needs to be healthy. He missed two days of practice last week with cold and allergy symptoms. That’s the only thing that has slowed him down this season.

He leads the NFL is sacks, pressures, tackles for losses and quarterback hits.

A week after using Parsons primarily at rush end against the Bengals, look for him to go back to his normal linebacker position against the Giants. He will continue to rush from edge on passing downs. But they want him in the middle of the defense running from sideline to sideline to help contain running back Saquon Barkley.

If he’s at end, they could run at him or away from him.

Most importantly, the Cowboys want to hide how they are going to deploy Parsons so the offense can’t change their protection scheme to contain him.

No self-inflicted wounds, namely turnovers and penalties

One of the most exciting things about last Sunday’s 20-17 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals was that the Cowboys had no penalties on the offensive line.

The Cowboys led the league with 54 penalties by the offensive line in 2021 and six were called on the line in the 19-3 season opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now, they are facing their first road game of the season at the New York Giants. They will be using a silent count for the first time.

They must avoid the false start penalties that could put them behind the chains, namely rookie left tackle Tyler Smith and right tackle Terence Steele.

In addition to penalties, the Cowboys must avoid turnovers. Quarterback Cooper Rush got away with a couple of near interceptions against the Bengals.