Quick Take: Cowboys (7-1) at Giants (6-2)

Last meeting
In Week 1, the Cowboys sent notice to the Giants and the rest of the NFL that they would be a force to contend with this season. Quarterback Tony Romo threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns to lead host Dallas past New York, 45-35.

Streaks
Dallas has won the past two meetings to extend its overall series lead over the Giants to 53-35-2.

Last week
The Cowboys went into Philadelphia and made a statement that it is still the team to beat in the NFC East, thoroughly dominating the Eagles, 38-17. ... New York had its bye last Sunday, following a 13-10 win over the Dolphins in London the week before.

At stake
The stakes are incredibly high for both teams in this matchup. The Cowboys can put a stranglehold on the NFC East by completing a sweep of the Giants and going two games up on their division rivals. On the grander scheme, Dallas also has to win to preserve its place atop the NFC with Green Bay; they both are jockeying for control of the conference with identical 7-1 records and face off in Week 13 on the **NFL Network**. For the Giants, this game also has divisional and conference repercussions. With a win they can tie the Cowboys for the NFC East lead and potentially the Packers for the conference lead if Green Bay stumbles against Minnesota.

Key matchup
Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo vs. Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. In the first game between these teams, New York's defense was still learning Spagnuolo's blitz-happy scheme. The Giants' uncertainty with the game plan shined through as the Cowboys seemingly scored at will. Fast foward eight weeks and the Giants seem to have mastered Spagnuolo's playbook and now rank seventh in the NFL in total defense. Further proof that they are executing Spagnuolo's pressure system is that they lead the NFL in sacks with 30. This coming after they had just one in the previous matchup at Dallas. Unlike Spagnuolo, Garrett seemingly had no problem getting his players to understand his scheme immediately. They came out flying against the Giants and have yet to slow down. They rank first in the NFC in total offense and scoring offense. Garrett's pass-happy system has fit perfectly with the explosive talents the Cowboys possess. Wide receiver Terrell Owens is on pace to post the highest receiving yardage total of his career and tight end Jason Witten is on track to shatter his personal bests in every statistical category. They have thrown the ball more than they have run it in six of eight games this year and Romo is second in the NFC with 2,308 yards.

Did you know?
The Cowboys aim for their first 8-1 start since 1995 when the team won **Super Bowl XXX over the Steelers.**