A Lot Has Changed Since Giants Last Faced Cowboys

The Giants host the Cowboys in Week 7, the second time the teams have faced off this season. It seems a bit odd for two divisional rivals to complete their head-to-head matchups a week before Halloween, and one might assume that not a lot has changed for these teams since Week 1, when the Giants coughed up a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to lose 27-26.

But you know what happens when you assume: you make an ass out of you and me, a saying that never made sense to me. After all, what does your assumption have to do with me? If William Safire were still alive, he could probably answer this. In the meantime, let’s be safe and not assume anything, OK? Instead, let’s look at the ways in which things have changed between Then and Now for the Giants and the Cowboys since Week 1.

Then: Both teams came in undefeated.
Now: The Giants are 3-3, the Cowboys are 2-3.

Then: Both teams came in tied for first place the NFC East.
Now: Every team in the division is separated by only one game.

Then: The game was in Dallas.
Now: The game is in New Jersey.

Then: Underwear and perfume burglar Joseph Randle was the Cowboys’ starting running back.
Now: The man with the most androgynous name in the NFL (Cristine Michael) is getting his first start at running back for Dallas.

Then: Victor Cruz was expected back any day now.
Now: Victor Cruz is expected back any day now.

Then: The Giants were losing games in the fourth quarter.
Now: The Giants are losing games in the first quarter.

Then: Dallas was expecting its offense to carry the team this season.
Now: Its defense has been trying valiantly to keep the team afloat as they wait for Tony Romo and Dez Bryant to return from injuries.

Then: No one knew what was going on with Jason Pierre-Paul and his fingers.
Now: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then: Hardly anyone knew who Daniel Murphy was.
Now: The Mets’ second baseman has hit home runs in a record-setting six straight postseason games and the Mets are headed to the World Series for the first time since 2000.

Then: The Mets had nothing to do with the Giants.
Now: It’s a good time to remind people that most Cowboys fans are frontrunners who also root for the Yankees, so the Mets' success ticks them off.

Then: Giants fans worried that a lack of playmakers on defense and the propensity of Eli Manning to turn the ball over would severely hamper the team’s 2015 prospects.
Now: The Giants are tied for first in the NFL with a plus-six turnover differential.

Then: Dallas' biggest strength was its offensive line.
Now: Ibid.

Then: Matt Cassel was unemployed.
Now: He is the starting quarterback for “America’s Team.”

Then: Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy was serving a suspension for a domestic incident in which he allegedly threw his girlfriend onto a bed covered in assault weapons.
Now: He’s back and making creepy statements about Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen.

Then: Cowboys fans were feeling really good about their team.
Now: The team has lost three straight, and fans are telling themselves that things will be OK so long as they can hang on until Romo and Dez return.

Then: Few people would have predicted the Giants would be 3-2 and alone in first place in the NFC East after five weeks.
Now: The team is in second place after an embarrassing 27-7 loss to the Eagles last week.

Then: It wasn't a must-win game for the Giants.
Now: It definitely is, as a third loss in the division would trample their playoff hopes.