EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Going into Thursday night’s game, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys were tied for last place in the NFC East at 1-2, one game behind the 2-1 Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the first half and limited the Giants to three field goals to lead 14–9 at halftime. It was a defensive battle for the rest of the game as neither team scored a touchdown in the second half.

Dallas picked up their second win of the season with a final score of 20–15, but star edge rusher Micah Parsons was taken off the field late in the game to have an x-ray.

Here are the most important things to know for both teams starting Thursday evening:

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott did not speak to the media prior to Thursday’s game against the New York Giants. He said he would speak “after the victory.” The Cowboys got the win, but it wasn’t an artistic beauty. However, after the Cowboys were embarrassed by back-to-back home losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens, all that mattered was getting a win in a short week.

Being 2-2 is so much better than 1-3. If the Cowboys had lost, it would have been the first time they lost three September games since 2001, and they would have been in last place in the NFC East.

Prescott was sharp, especially in the first half with touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb (55 yards) and Rico Dowdle (15 yards). The defense eventually stopped the run and stiffened in the red zone, holding the Giants to five field goals.

Prescott has now won thirteen in a row against the Giants. His last loss came in 2016 as a rookie. He tied the second-longest winning streak by a quarterback against a single opponent since quarterback statistics were first kept in 1950. Tom Brady defeated the Buffalo Bills 13 straight times from 2003 to 2010, and Steve Young defeated the Rams 13 straight from 1987 to 98. He’ll get a shot at No. 14 on Thanksgiving.

Promising trend: If Lamb has some side issues, the best seems to be coming out of him. During last year’s loss in San Francisco, Lamb stayed on the sidelines and followed that up with six games with at least 11 catches and seven games with more than 100 yards. In last week’s loss to New Orleans, Lamb got into an argument with Prescott and did not speak to the media after the game. On Tuesday, Lamb apologized and said he would get better. In the first half alone, he had six catches for 94 yards (both season highs) and a touchdown.

Eye-popping statistic: Brandon Aubrey has played 21 games for the Cowboys. He has three 60-yard field goals in his career, including a 60-yarder in the third quarter against the Giants. That’s one off the NFL record held by Brett Maher, who made four with the Cowboys in two different stints. Aubrey made a 60-yarder against the Ravens last week. This season he is 2-for-2 from 60 yards. According to ESPN Research, the rest of the league is 0-for-2.

Silver lining: The Cowboys have ten days to prepare for the currently undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. Time will help as there is still a lot of correction to be done even with the win. Over the past three games, opposing quarterbacks have missed just 19 passes. Against the Saints and Ravens, that was understandable because both teams were so dominant on the run. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones had too much time to throw for much of the game after previously being tormented by the Cowboys, who sacked him 24 times in eight games prior to Thursday. Oh, and they were penalized nine times in the first half alone. —Todd Sagittarius

Next game: at Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 PM ET, Sunday, October 6)

New York Giants

The Giants kept it close to the Cowboys, but still couldn’t come away with a win. After last season, when the Giants were outscored 89-17 in their two meetings with the Cowboys, this has to be seen as progress, right?

Of course, there are no moral victories in the NFL, but this was the third straight step in the right direction for the Giants (1-3) after an ugly opener.

The gap between the division rivals has narrowed, at least to some extent. Dallas still owns the Giants. They have won 14 of their past 15 games and Prescott has beaten them 13 straight. New York is still not quite there, but this proves that it is at least improving.

QB breakdown: Jones was efficient, completing 29 of 40 passes (73% completion) for 281 yards with an interception on a Hail Mary in the final seconds. But the Giants were kept out of the end zone and Jones fell short on most of his deep throws. It’s especially notable because this was an issue early in training camp. There was a lot of good for Jones, but it wasn’t enough. Jones is clearly playing better since the opener. Having rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers (12 catches for 115 yards) certainly helps.

Eye-popping statistic: Nabers continues to supplement his administration. He became the first player in NFL history with at least 25 receptions and three touchdowns in his first four career games when he caught a three-yard pass early in the second quarter.

Troubling trend: Giants top cornerback Deonte Banks has already been the closest defender this season with four touchdown passes, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Banks was beaten again Thursday night, this time by Lamb for a 55-yard score in the second quarter. The Giants were hoping Banks would step into the CB1 role this season. Instead, it’s been a struggle so far.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Giants were unable to get anything going in the running game against the league’s worst defense. Dallas entered the game allowing 185.7 yards on the ground per game. The Giants came into the game thinking they would have success, but only had 29 yards rushing in the first half – and they finished with 26 yards on 24 carries. —Jordan Raanan

Next game: at Seattle Seahawks (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 6)