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Odell Beckham Jr. and Dez Bryant are the best WRs in the NFC East**
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MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction -Beckham has been terrific, but he needs to produce for more than five games before we start calling him among the best in the division. And you can't omit Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin, who leads all division wide receivers in catches, yards and touchdowns.
JOHN SCHMEELK: Fiction -I can't rank Odell Beckham as a better wide receiver than Pierre Garcon or DeSean Jackson quite yet. He has the potential to get to that level but he needs to do what he is doing consistently before I put him in that group.
DAN SALOMONE: Fact -It's a big opportunity for a defense that has fallen to last in the NFL against the run after allowing 350 and 148 yards over the last two games. Aside from being a potential confidence booster against the NFL's leading rusher, it all starts with stopping the run. The Giants will also have to contain Murray out of the backfield. The running back has 36 catches for 281 yards this season on top of his incredible pace on the ground.
Stopping DeMarco Murray should be priority number one for the Giants defense
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MICHAEL EISEN: Fact - **It always starts with stopping the run. And the Cowboys have really hurt their opponents by converting 50.8 of their third-down opportunities, which is second in the NFL. They have done that because they so often need just a yard or two to pick up a first dow. That's because Murray gains so much on first and second down. The Giants must clamp down on Murray and force Dallas into third-and-long situations.
JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact -The Cowboys have one of the best rushing offenses in the league and they will provide a bigger challenge than either the Seahawks or the Redskins. If DeMarco Murray runs wild, the Giants will have to commit more men to the line of scrimmage, which could potentially give Dez Bryant one-on-one opportunities in the secondary.
DAN SALOMONE: Fiction - It's a major reason, but it's not the biggest improvement for a Dallas team that was 5-5 at this point last season. Rather, the defense's climb from last in yards allowed last season to middle of the pack this year has the team in much better position.
The Cowboys are 7-3 this year primarily because of the play of their offensive line
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MICHAEL EISEN: Fact - **A vastly improved offensive line has been most responsible for the Cowboys' improvement this season. They've been one of the best rushing teams all season and that has been the key to their offensive success. The group could do a better job protecting Tony Romo – who has been sacked 18 times and couldn't play vs. Arizona after absorbing a hard hit in the Washington game - but it's kept him upright long enough for him to throw 18 touchdown passes.
JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact -In part, yes, but not completely. The offensive line has been the driving force of the offense, but the improvement of the defense to league average status has made the biggest difference.
DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -While he's been impressive and his future is bright, you can't put Beckham up there just yet after six games in the NFL. That would be a discredit to other NFC wide receivers like Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, who are both in the top 10 of the league in receiving yards.
The Giants 2011 season-ending win over the Cowboys to win the division is the best victory in MetLife Stadium history
MICHAEL EISEN: Fact -I'd like to say it was the victory over Atlanta in the NFC Wild Card Game the following week, but that game would not have been played had it not been for the win over Dallas. So we'll go with the win over the Cowboys and say with confidence that the best is yet to come.
JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact -That game set up the Giants' Super Bowl run, and earned them the division championship ahead of the Cowboys. I can't think of a more dramatic win in the building.
DAN SALOMONE: Fiction -We didn't say home game at MetLife Stadium, right? In that case, I'm going with the one right before against the Jets, who were the host team. Victor Cruz delivered what will go down as one of the most memorable non-Super Bowl plays in Giants history with his 99-yard touchdown. It was the spark that ignited the title run.
