It's been an interesting week in the NFL as the spread has not been a factor in 15 of 16 games played thus far. Despite Dallas opening as a 3-point underdog and that line falling to what basically amounts to a pick 'em, there's not a hesitancy to go with the Cowboys here. Why? Primarily because Dallas has the best single unit on the field: its defense. Other than Saquon Barkley, Giants' playmakers are not necessarily concerning. The Cowboys, meanwhile, still have Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb even with Michael Gallup and Dalton Schultz out. Cooper Rush should play well enough to lead a Dallas team that beat New York by a combined 65-26 last season and has won nine of the last 10 meetings since 2017.

Offense-wrecker Micah Parsons is listed as questionable but is "good to go" according to Cowboys' officials. Dallas also should get a lift from the expected return of wideout Michael Gallup. Cooper Rush has a 93.6 passer rating in his two career starts, both wins, and I think he'll continue to succeed, especially with rookie Tyler Smith playing surprisingly well at left tackle. The Giants will miss defensive anchor Leonard Williams, who is doubtful with a knee injury after making 112 straight starts.

This line was Giants -4 on the lookahead coming off Dak Prescott's injury, but with Cooper Rush moving to 2-0 as a starter, it appears people are more willing to buy into Dallas. His win last year at Minnesota came in primetime, so don't use the Monday night factor here to fade the inexperienced QB. The Giants are finding ways to win games despite not looking very impressive, with the offense 26th in pass yards per attempt and 30th in sack rate. The Giants O-line looks like a problem (minus Andrew Thomas), and that's not great when facing this ferocious Dallas front. Even though they play better at home, I expect the Cowboys defense to dictate this game and come out with the win.