Cowboys-Giants game showcases awful decision-making by Jerry Jones and Joe Schoen

The Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants for the least appetizing game on Thanksgiving Day.

Both teams have struggled mightily this season — and that may be an understatement. The Giants have lost six consecutive games, and they appear to be on course to finish dead last in the NFL standings. With just two wins all season, New York is currently in a three-way tie for last place in the league. If there's any silver lining, it's that the Giants hold the tie-breaker for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Cowboys began the season with Super Bowl aspirations, but they haven't done much better than the Giants. Although they've managed to win four games, one of those came against these lowly Giants in Week 4. The Cowboys snapped their five-game losing streak with a win over the Washington Commanders in Week 12, but they have allowed their opponents to score at least 30 points in five of their seven losses.

The Thanksgiving matchup only highlights how disappointing the season has been for both teams. The primetime slot was supposed to provide a national stage for the NFC East rivals to battle for playoff seeding. Instead, both head coaches are battling for their jobs, and the only true losers will be the fans who have to endure watching this game.

While injuries have certainly played a role in the struggles for both teams, they ultimately have no one to blame but themselves. The Cowboys and Giants are both facing the harsh realities of their offseason mistakes.

Cowboys and Giants ruined their own seasons with offseason decisions

For New York, the blunders began with general manager Joe Schoen’s decision to overvalue quarterback Daniel Jones and undervalue running back Saquon Barkley. Throughout his six years in the Meadowlands, Barkley often carried a lackluster offensive roster into scoring position. Yet, Giants general manager Joe Schoen decided to put his faith in Jones instead. New York signed Jones to a monster four-year, $160 million contract in 2023, then allowed Barkley to test the free agency market this offseason.

It didn’t take long for that decision to backfire. The Giants needed just 11 games to realize they needed to release Jones after this season. Jones requested his release after he was demoted to third-string quarterback, and he is now a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Meanwhile, Barkley is currently on pace to set the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing record with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dallas’ mistakes can be attributed to team owner Jerry Jones. The Cowboys remained dormant in the offseason and passed up opportunities to sign players like running back Derrick Henry, who currently leads the league in rushing touchdowns. Jones claimed that the Cowboys couldn’t afford to sign Henry because of the massive contract extensions they owed to quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, but Jones created that mess by not handling both of contracts last offseason.

Due to the Cowboys inactivity during the offseason, several players on expiring contracts left Dallas for greener pastures in free agency. The team's glaring weaknesses have only been amplified as injuries have decimated the roster. The Cowboys injury report is longer than a drug store receipt — 17 players are listed with various injuries and ailments ahead of the Thanksgiving matchup.

Even the quarterback battle will be underwhelming. The Cowboys lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury, leaving the team with veteran backup Cooper Rush as the starting option. Rush is dealing with his own ailments after picking up a knee injury against the Commanders in Week 12.

Once New York was sure they would move on from Jones, they benched him to avoid the risk of his $23 million injury guarantee for the 2025 season. In other words, the decision to start quarterback Tommy DeVito was not made because he was the better option over Jones. Now, it appears that DeVito won’t be available either. DeVito is considered a “long shot” to play despite being listed as questionable on New York’s injury report, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. The Giants will turn to backup quarterback Drew Lock to lead the offense. 

Despite their woes, both teams have coaches who will undoubtedly want to win this game, especially since their jobs hang in the balance. Giants head coach Brian Daboll is at risk of losing his job after disappointing campaigns in back-to-back seasons. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has provided the team with plenty of regular season success, but humiliating playoff losses have left him without a contract after the 2024 season.

Fans should probably just spend more time preparing their Thanksgiving dinner instead of tuning into the Cooper Rush and Drew Luck spectacle that these two teams have cooked up.