When the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys met in Week 1, the Cowboys torched the Giants for 45 points en route to a victory.
At the time, the Giants were a still-developing defense. Mathias Kiwanuka was completely abused by Jason Witten in pass coverage, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had not yet unleashed the Kiwanuka, Justin Tuck, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora defensive line that has been terrorizing opposing quarterbacks recently.
Can the Cowboys hang another 45 point-game on the Giants? I doubt it. Can the Giants completely shut down Tony Romo and the Dallas offense? I'm not so sure about that, either.
To me, it comes down to a simple thing. Can the Giants, who lead the league with 30 sacks, get pressure on Romo, who has only been sacked 11 times all season?
If they can, Romo will make mistakes and the Giants will have an excellent opportunity. If Spagnuolo and the Giants can't force Romo to be uncomfortable, he will again torch New York's secondary.
With two weeks to prepare I expect to see some pass-rush wrinkles from Spagnuolo and the Giants. Expect to see rushers coming from everywhere. If the Giants don't get to Romo he is too good, and has too many weapons, not to put up some points.
So, if you want an early key to Sunday's important NFC East showdown, there it is. It's all about the pass rush, baby!