The 3-3 New York Giants travel to Dallas for a 4:25 p.m. ET game on Sunday against the 5-1 Dallas Cowboys. Here are three things we'll be watching:

1. Another tough matchup for Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants' top pass-rusher had a tough time Sunday in Philadelphia against Eagles left tackle Jason Peters. Things get no easier this week against Dallas left tackle Tyron Smith, who last week became the first lineman to win an Offensive Player of the Week award since 2004. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell raved about Smith on Thursday, calling him "the lynchpin of the offense." This ESPN Insider piece from Christopher Harris this week ranked "DeMarco Murray behind left tackle kick-out" as the second-most unstoppable play in the NFL right now, and the left tackle in that equation is obviously Smith. Pierre-Paul is sound against the run and won't be overly aggressive as is the pass-rusher in Christopher's example (Robert Quinn), but that doesn't mean he'll have an easy time winning one-on-one against Smith, who's playing his position as well as anyone in the league.

2. Can the Giants get the offense in rhythm? The Eagles' pass rush so overwhelmed the Giants' offensive line Sunday night that Eli Manning and the offense couldn't get anything going. Their offense is rhythm-driven and must be on the field collecting first downs at a steady clip in order to operate effectively and score points. The Cowboys aren't likely to attack them as fiercely, but the way they slow down an offense is by boring it to death on the sideline. Dallas' average per-game time of possession is 34:02, which is the fourth-highest in the league. If they can run the ball with Murray as effectively as they have been, they can keep Manning and the Giants' offense off the field -- as they did to Russell Wilson and the Super Bowl champion Seahawks on Sunday in Seattle -- and knock them out of their rhythm that way.

3. Who replaces Victor Cruz? With starter Rashad Jennings out last week, the Giants used a combination of Andre Williams and Peyton Hillis at running back to little effect. Cruz, the Giants' top receiver, is out for the year due to a knee injury suffered in Sunday's game. The Giants are going to have to mix-and-match with some combination of Preston Parker, Kevin Ogletree and Corey Washington to replace Cruz's production while Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. serve as primary receiving weapons along with tight end Larry Donnell. It's not going to be easy, and the passing game is likely to suffer for the absence of Cruz and Jennings. Manning just doesn't have as many short-range options as he did two weeks ago.