NY Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Big Blue faces longest odds of NFL season

ARLINGTON, Texas - Pro Football Hall of Fame voter Rick Gosselin has covered the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL for five decades, and he posted a remarkable stat that provides quite a backdrop for the New York Giants' game on Sunday afternoon inside AT&T Stadium.

Only 11 NFL defenses have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season, only nine defenses have not allowed a 300-yard passer and only two have not allowed a 100-yard receiver.

The Cowboys are the only team that has not allowed any of the three.

The Giants (2-7) have not beaten Prescott since his rookie season in 2016, a stretch of 11 consecutive starts, including an opening night blowout at MetLife Stadium to the tune of 40-0. They will start undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito and seek what would be a mammoth upset in terms of odds and recent history against the Cowboys.

Tell me the odds

The Giants are now 17.5-point underdogs, the fourth time they are facing a double-digit spread this season (at San Francisco, at Miami and at Buffalo). They were 15-point underdogs on the road against the Bills last month and came within an untimed down at the goal line of pulling the upset, losing 14-9.

Spent some time researching the largest point spread the Giants have faced as underdogs - ever - on Pro Football Reference.

I've reached 1966 and plan on stopping here.

Ready? The Giants were 25-point underdogs on Dec. 4 to the Cleveland Browns, and covered, losing 49-40.

They were 20.5-point underdogs to the St. Louis Cardinals, who were undefeated at the time, and only lost 24-19. They were 23-point underdogs to the Cowboys that year and lost 17-7.

The biggest blowout that season for the Allie Sherman-led Giants, who finished 1-12-1: they were 17-point underdogs to Washington and lost 72-41.

The fact that the Cowboys beat these Giants by a score of 40-0 on opening night plays a factor in the number here.

Quarterback debate

There is a compelling dynamic developing for the Giants, who currently sit third overall in the race for the top of the 2024 NFL Draft. Daniel Jones is out for the season and likely facing a nine-month recovery after tearing the ACL in his right knee last Sunday in Las Vegas. Tyrod Taylor, his backup, suffered a rib cage injury two weeks ago against the Jets and is on injured reserve. He must miss a minimum of three additional games and, while Taylor indicated Thursday that he does not believe his injury is season-ending, the Giants have not offered an official timeline for his possible return.

So that leaves DeVito as the starter, veteran Matt Barkley as the backup and Jacob Eason on the practice squad at the most important position in the game. Over the next two months, if the Giants continue to lose, there will be plenty of speculation regarding the No. 1 overall pick and whether Caleb Williams of USC or North Carolina's Drake Maye is a good fit for Big Blue.

Keep checking back all day for live updates and in-game analysis from AT&T Stadium.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: In-game analysis and updates