Cowboys vs. Giants live updates: Score, highlights from Thanksgiving game

Admin November 28, 2024

For the second time in three years, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys face off on Thanksgiving. The NFC East foes match up in the second game of the holiday slate.

Dallas enters its traditional host game on Thanksgiving riding a high from a chaotic win 34-26 over the Washington Commanders in Week 12. The teams combined for 41 points in the final eight minutes and 11 seconds, including two kick return touchdowns by the Cowboys. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and is the first behind quarterback Cooper Rush, who has taken over as the starter following Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury.

New York had no such luck in Week 12. After benching then releasing longtime starting quarterback Daniel Jones, the Giants had just 245 yards of total offense in a 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. Running back Devin Singletary’s one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter avoided a shutout for New York. Quarterback Drew Lock will be getting his first start of the season on Thanksgiving.

This is just the third time the two divisional rivals are playing on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys are 2-0 in the previous matchups in 2022 and 1992. Follow along here for all of the updates from the Thanksgiving afternoon NFL game.

After one first down in the final 8:59 of the second quarter, the game is finally headed to the break. The teams combined for 33 yards and five punts in the final seven minutes of the half.

New York will receive the ball to start the second half.

Dallas gained 15 yards on a roughing the passer penalty but Cooper Rush threw four incompletions and the Cowboys settled for their third consecutive punt. New York takes over at its own 11 with 1:05 left in the half.

New York took just 21 seconds off the clock over three plays and lost two yards thanks to a false start penalty. The Giants’ third punt of the game gives the Cowboys the ball back again on their own 34 with 1:28 to go in the first half.

Dallas faced 1st-and-20 after an offensive pass interference call on tight end Luke Schoonmaker to start the drive following the Giants’ field goal. Cooper Rush couldn’t connect with CeeDee Lamb or Jonathan Mingo but an offsides penalty on New York made it 3rd-and-15. Hunter Luepke’s two-yard run brought the game to the two minute warning and the Giants will take over at their own 14 after the punt.

The Giants started their drive from the Cowboys’ 29-yard line after a 22-yard punt return by Ihmir Smith-Marsette but managed to gain one yard on four plays. Graham Gano made his first field goal of the game from 46 yards out to cut the deficit to 13-10 with 3:21 to go in the first half.

Cooper Rush fired a pass deep down the left sideline to the Cowboys’ trade deadline pickup and Mingo couldn’t hold on thanks to good defense by Giants cornerback Cordale Flott. Dallas punted from inside their own 5-yard line and a great return means the Giants take over at the Cowboys’ 29.

New York gained two yards on two plays before Lock overthrew Nabers in double coverage. The Giants punted from the Dallas 42 and the Cowboys will take over at their own 1-yard line with 6:18 to go in the second quarter.

Cooper Rush rolled out to his right on 3rd-and-1 from the Dallas 44 and found Lamb on a crosser but the star wideout dropped the pass. The Cowboys went for it on 4th-and-1 but fullback Hunter Luepke was stuffed for no gain and the Giants take over with 7:15 to go in the second.

Dallas’ pass rush finally got to Drew Lock on 3rd-and-8 from midfield as Donovan Wilson brought him down for a loss of 12 yards. New York kicked the first punt of the game and the Cowboys take over on their own 14-yard line with 8:59 left until halftime.

Dallas’ linebacker was blitzing and blew up a block by New York’s Devin Singletary. He tipped Drew Lock’s pass to himself and ran 23 yards to the end zone. Brandon Aubrey’s extra point is good and the Cowboys take a 13-7 lead with 11:29 left in the first half.

The Cowboys couldn’t keep up the momentum from Rico Dowdle’s hard running as Cooper Rush couldn’t connect with CeeDee Lamb on 3rd-and-6 from the Giants’ 15. Kicker Brandon Aubrey made his second field goal of the game, this one from 33 yards out, to cut the deficit to 7-6 with 11:44 to go in the second quarter.

The first quarter of this Thanksgiving NFC East battle is in the books with the Giants leading 7-3. Dallas is driving as the quarter ends and are facing 1st-and-10 from the Giants’ 33-yard line to open the second quarter.

Dallas running back Rico Dowdle sparked the Cowboys’ offense with 35 yards rushing on the final two plays of the first quarter.

After a Drew Lock scramble brought the Giants down to the Dallas’ 1-yard line, rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. punched it in. Graham Gano’s extra point is good and the Giants have a 7-3 lead with 3:06 left in the first quarter.

New York got multiple key conversions on the drive. Tracy Jr.’s six-yard run moved the chains on 4th-and-1 and Devin Singletary converted a 3rd-and-1 at the Dallas 35. Lock’s run on 3rd-and-6 from the Dallas 29 brought New York down to the goal line.

With that touchdown, the Giants are leading a game for the first time since Week 5.

Cooper Rush’s pass to Brandin Cooks was just outside of his reach on 3rd-and-4 from the Giants’ 5-yard line. Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey opened the scoring for the game with a 23-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

The Cowboys drove 65 yards in 11 plays, highlighted by Rush finding CeeDee Lamb for a key third-down conversion to bring the Cowboys close to the red zone before KaVontae Turpin brought them inside the Giants’ 15.

Dallas’ offense will start the first drive of the game from their own 30 after a touchback.

Cowboys vs. Giants Thanksgiving game start time

Start time: 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 PT)
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

The Cowboys continue their tradition of playing on Thanksgiving with the afternoon game on the slate. It’s slightly later than the typical afternoon slate start time of 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. ET.

Cowboys vs. Giants TV channel

FOX will carry the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game for the first time since 2022, the last time these two teams played on the holiday. Announcers Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Tom Brady (color analyst) will be on the call, with Tom Rinaldi and Erin Andrews reporting from the sideline.

Cowboys vs. Giants picks, predictions

Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Cowboys vs. Giants Turkey Day matchup will sway:

Lorenzo Reyes: Cowboys 21, Giants 14
Tyler Dragon: Cowboys 22, Giants 17
Richard Morin: Cowboys 27, Giants 13
Jordan Mendoza: Cowboys 20, Giants 16

The Cowboys are favored to get a win on Thanksgiving over the Giants, per BetMGM’s NFL odds.

Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024 including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.

Favorite: Dallas (-4)
Moneyline: Dallas (-200), New York (+165)
Over/under: 37.5 points

Philadelphia Eagles (9-2, 3-0 NFC East)
Washington Commanders (7-5, 2-2)
Dallas Cowboys (4-7, 2-1)
New York Giants (2-9, 0-4)

The Cowboys-Giants Thanksgiving game in Week 13 will be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys have hosted one Thanksgiving game every year since 1978.

In the 1960s, NFL viewership was growing rapidly, and the league added a second Thanksgiving game in 1966. Then-Dallas Cowboys president Tex Schramm volunteered the Cowboys to play on the second game, so long as the team could host the game each year.

The Cowboys won their Thanksgiving debut 26-14 over the Cleveland Browns and the tradition continued the following season. The St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals took over as a host team for the Cowboys in 1975 and 1977 but Dallas was reinstated in 1978 and have had a permanent place on the holiday ever since.

Dallas has played 56 total games on Thanksgiving with a 33-22-1 record on the holiday entering 2024.

-Ayrton Ostly

The Dallas Cowboys are continuing their long-time tradition of playing on Thanksgiving Day. For their 2024 game against the New York Giants, they will have to do so without their starting quarterback.

Dak Prescott will not be available to play on Thanksgiving. He is missing a fourth consecutive contest after he suffered a hamstring against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9.

Instead, backup Cooper Rush will make a fourth consecutive start and look to earn back-to-back wins as Dallas looks to improbably claw its way back into the playoff race.

Prescott suffered a partial hamstring avulsion – a tear during which part of the tendon rips off the bone – during Dallas’ 27-21 loss to the Falcons in Week 9. He told reporters after the contest that he wasn’t sure if the injury occurred while he was running or being tackled.

-Jacob Camenker

The Lions played the Bears in the first-ever Thanksgiving Day NFL game in 1934. The site was the University of Detroit Stadium with 26,000 people in attendance, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s believed that more people would’ve attended if the stadium capacity was larger.

George A. Richards, who bought the Portsmouth Spartans and moved them to Detroit in 1934, was looking to gain some traction in a town dominated by baseball’s Tigers. The team then become known as the Lions but needed something to get the fans’ attention.

So Richards went and scheduled a game on Thanksgiving against the defending champion Chicago Bears. Just like that, a tradition was born.

-Joseph Rivera, Nick Brinkerhoff

DeVito was a surprise add to the Giants’ injury report on Tuesday, turning in a limited session. The quarterback is dealing with a forearm injury to his throwing arm, according to head coach Brian Daboll.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported that DeVito was not traveling with the team to Dallas, and that the Week 12 starter was “a longshot” to play against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. DeVito is currently listed as “questionable” for Thursday.

-Nick Brinkerhoff, Jack McKessy

In recent years, Luke Combs and Dolly Parton graced the stage to commemorate the “Salvation Army Red Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show.” This time, Dallas is set to welcome in another one of country music’s biggest stars on Thanksgiving: Lainey Wilson.

The team announced the decision in October, naming the 32-year-old Louisiana native as this year’s entertainer. In her signature bell-bottoms, Wilson appeared alongside the famous Cowboys’ cheerleaders and teased a special guest would join her during the show.

“I am so excited to announce that I have teamed up with The Salvation Army to love beyond the holidays and make a difference in our communities all year round,” she said in the video.

-Nick Brinkerhoff

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only active franchise to have never played on Thanksgiving. Three teams have had one game on the holiday: the Carolina Panthers (2015), Cincinnati Bengals (2010), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006).

-Ayrton Ostly

RB Deuce Vaughn
G Zack Martin
TE Jake Ferguson
DE Marshawn Kneeland
WR Ryan Flournoy
CB Trevon Diggs
CB Andrew Booth

QB Tommy DeVito (emergency 3rd QB)
TE Greg Dulcich
CB Deonte Banks
S Anthony Johnson
CB Tre Hawkins III
G Jake Kubas
T Jermaine Eluemunor

The Lions have played 84 Thanksgiving games, the most of any team. They are 37-45-2 in those games. Considering they won’t be relinquishing control of the NFL’s tradition anytime soon, it’s safe to say that they will continue to be Turkey Day’s most featured team.

Here’s the first round of the 2025 NFL draft will stack up entering today’s games:

Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants
Las Vegas Raiders
New England Patriots
Carolina Panthers
Tennessee Titans
New York Jets
Cleveland Browns
New Orleans Saints
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Chicago Bears
Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Commanders
Houston Texans
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles
Buffalo Bills
Kansas City Chiefs
Detroit Lions

Across all metrics, the top-10 highest paid players in the NFL are all quarterbacks. Here’s how the breakdown looks by AAV, guarantees, and total contract value this season.

AAV

Dak Prescott, Cowboys: $60 million
Joe Burrow, Bengals: $55 million
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: $55 million
Jordan Love, Packers: $55 million
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins: $53.1 million
Jared Goff, Lions: $53 million
Justin Herbert, Chargers: $52.5 million
Lamar Jackson, Ravens: $52 million
Jalen Hurts, Eagles: $51 million
Kyler Murray, Cardinals: $46.1 million

Guaranteed money

Dak Prescott, Cowboys: $231 million
Deshaun Watson, Browns: $230 million
Joe Burrow, Bengals: $219.01 million
Justin Herbert, Chargers: $218.74 million
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: $200 million
Lamar Jackson, Ravens: $185 million
Jalen Hurts, Eagles: $179.4 million
Jared Goff: $170.61 million
Tua Tagovailoa: $167.17 million
Jordan Love: $160.3 million

Total contract value

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: $450 million
Joe Burrow, Bengals: $275 million
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: $275 million
Justin Herbert, Chargers: $262.5 million
Lamar Jackson, Ravens: $260 million
Josh Allen, Bills: $258.04 million
Jalen Hurts, Eagles: $255 million
Dak Prescott, Cowboys: $240 million
Kyler Murray, Cardinals: $230.5 million
Deshaun Watson, Browns: $230 million

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the highest-paid non-quarterback by AAV at $35 million per year and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is the highest-paid non-quarterback by total value at $170 million.