The Cowboys are 17.5-point favorites over the division-rival, New York Giants in Week 10. It’s a spread that rivals many college football games and appears as the clearest sure thing Dallas has seen since Week 3 in Arizona.
But much like that torrid affair in the desert, this game has trap written all over it. Not only are the Cowboys still coming down from their nail-biter against the Eagles last Sunday, but they are early favorites in their next four games. Mentally chalking these up as automatic wins is a natural impulse they simply have to resist.
It all starts in Week 10. The Cowboys set the tone for the next four games on Sunday against New York. If they can stay focused on the task and do what they are expected to do, they can come out of the upcoming stretch smelling like roses.
But if they take it for granted and allow a wild card like the Giants to get the upset, the hole in their potential playoff seeding may be insurmountable. Here are three keys to avoiding getting upended.