Current Odds

The Cowboys are currently a -3 to -3½ point favorite at different sportsbooks and the oddsmakers are more content to adjust the moneyline associated with the pointspread than to move on and off such a key number. Since favorites win by exactly 3 points nearly 10-percent of the time, some sportsbooks have Dallas -3 -125, while others have the Cowboys -3½ +105.

The Over/Under line has held steady all week at 44½ total points, even though 70-percent of the public is supporting the Over according to the Covers.com consensus.

Injury Report

Dallas offensive guard Kyle Kosier will not play Monday as Kosier suffered a strained right Achilles on the last drive of the first half of the Minnesota game and he said he is also battling an ankle sprain. Montrae Holland will start at left guard while Kosier is sidelined. Kosier is hopeful that he will be ready to play next week against Jacksonville. Holland also started the season opener against Washington when Kosier was out with a knee injury.

Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant (ankle), linebacker Bradie James (knee), right tackle Marc Colombo (knee) and center Andre Gurode (knee) all practiced Saturday and are listed as probable.

For the Giants, fullback Madison Hedgecock (hamstring) and defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka (neck) are out. Receiver Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) and defensive ends Justin Tuck (ankle) and Osi Umenyiora (knee) are all listed as probable.

Sign of Disrespect

Jerry Jones and his Cowboys opened their spectacular 1.2 billion dollar stadium in a national spotlight game against the New York Giants last September. The grand-opening festivities didn’t go as planned after the Giants beat the Cowboys 33-31. After the win, quarterback Eli Manning went into the visitor's locker room and wrote his name on the wall. He added the date and score, and added this line: ‘First win in the new stadium.’

After learning of Manning’s penmanship, Dallas linebacker Bradie James said last year, “We won’t forget that.” When pressed about it, Manning made the excuse that somebody in the Cowboys’ organization asked him to do it. He has since confessed that he made that up, and that isn’t sitting too well with the Cowboys.

”It wasn’t anybody from our organization that asked him,” head coach Wade Phillips said. “Things come back around in this league. I respect the team we play. That’s the way I approach the game and I expect our players to do the same thing.”

Orders from the Owner

Dallas comes into this game at just 1-4 straight-up. Their season is hanging on by a thread, and there is a lot of tension inside of America’s Team. Owner Jerry Jones has always been a hands-on type, and with the season on the verge of disaster, Jones gave his team a simple message on Monday.

”Put up or shut up,” Jones said. “You guys, we have everything in place. I’ve made the team sort of what it is right now. Everyone is playing well on this team, but the way we are playing is (selfish), undisciplined. We have got to find some way to stop being our own Achilles’ heel and win some games.”

DeMarcus Ware said Jones was “stern and he wasn’t happy-go-lucky, because it’s not a happy-go-lucky time.” Ware sees that the team is focused: “There is a sense of urgency.” Coach Phillips agrees: “We practiced with a lot of determination. I see resolve. I see a lot of willpower, guys wanting to do the right thing.”

Mr. October

Move over Reggie Jackson. New York has a qualified replacement. His name is Eli Manning. The Giants’ quarterback has owned the month of October since coming into the league back in 2004. Manning is 19-4 as a starter in October which is good for a .826 winning percentage. Manning’s record is better than any quarterback in NFL history with at lease 20 starts since the Super Bowl era began back in 1967.

To put Manning’s record into perspective, look at some of the records of the current, upper-echelon quarterbacks in the NFL: Tom Brady (25-8, .757), Philip Rivers (8-10, .444), Ben Roethlisberger (17-5, .772), Brett Favre (37-29, .560), and Peyton Manning (33-14, .702).

”It’s about being prepared,” Manning said. “It’s about being ready for situations that are thrown at you. A lot of times you make your own luck or make your own bad luck.”