Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Welcome to MetLife Stadium

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Welcome to MetLife Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys take on the New York Giants Sunday night.

The Cowboys are coming off their bye week and are looking to sweep the Giants for the second straight season. The Cowboys are the NFL’s only undefeated road team this season (4-0), but they have lost four straight road games in prime time.

Their last road win in prime time was the 2012 season opener against the Giants.

With a win, the Cowboys would improve to 8-3. The last time they had that record came in 2009, which also happens to be the last time they made the playoffs.

Protect the ball: Jason Garrett constantly preaches about the importance of the ball.

The stat that means the most to the Dallas Cowboys head coach is turnover margin. Win that and your odds of winning improve. Lose that and you face an uphill climb.

Despite the Cowboys’ 7-3 record, they are minus-1 in turnovers on the season. Entering Sunday’s games, there was only one team with a winning record -- the Philadelphia Eagles -- with a worse turnover margin than the Cowboys. The Cowboys have lost 10 fumbles. Only the Eagles (11) had more.

Tony Romo has had at least one interception in six straight games (nine total) against the Giants, with 13 touchdown passes.

In the first meeting, Romo completed all nine second-half passes for 156 yards and a touchdown in the 31-21 win at AT&T Stadium.

“As the games get later in the year, if you’re lucky enough to be a team that’s going to be playing in January and late in the year, the turnovers are going to be what ultimately decides your season,” Romo said. “You can play a great football game and you can be a better team, but if you give up the ball, you’re not going to be able to accomplish your goals. So, I think that’s a very big key for us.”

Keep an eye on: Giants rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has made some great strides since playing the Cowboys in October. He caught just four passes for 34 yards in that game but had two touchdowns.

In the three games since, Beckham has 21 catches for 357 yards. In that time span he is tied for third in the NFL in catches and second in yards.

“In this league everybody has the physical abilities to make plays,” Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr said. “To survive in this league it comes down to intangibles, the mental part. His confidence is there. He has an elite quarterback I know that’s pushing him, motivating him and trying to get him the ball.”

Giants running back Rashad Jennings didn’t play in the first meeting between the teams. The Giants’ three wins this season have come with Jennings active. He has 109 carries for 455 yards on the season.

“He’s run the ball effectively for them when he’s healthy,” Garrett said. “But the other runners, they have are good players, too, and obviously when you go into any game, the importance of controlling the line of scrimmage and controlling the run is critical. We certainly have to do that this week.”

The ref: Bill Vinovich’s crew will work Sunday night’s game between the Cowboys and Giants. Here is a breakdown of what Vinovich called last week with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.

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