The Cowboys' Troy Aikman needs to find a reliable target to replace Michael Irvin.

The Cowboys, who were productive through their first three games, suffered through a disappointing game against the Eagles last week because the offense was out of sync. It will be interesting to see now what happens with Michael Irvin sidelined because, without Irvin, the Cowboys never went vertical with their offensive attack.

Against the Eagles, the Cowboys threw 39 times, but only four balls were thrown 20 yards or more in the air from the line of scrimmage. They didn't force the ball down the field, and that hurt them because they couldn't get any explosive plays to put points on the board. The Cowboys let the Eagles hang around because they didn't put them away offensively.

The Eagles did a nice job of zone-blitzing, and Dallas did a poor job of picking them up. There was pressure on Troy Aikman and some communication breakdowns with the receivers. The zone blitzes were throwing them off, and Ismail and Mills had some problems making the connections.

The Cowboys also aren't gettting good enough play out of their fullbacks. Tim Lester just isn't a Moose Johnston. They need to get a better job out of the fullback. On the other hand, Emmitt Smith is running very well. He looks fresh, quick and powerful. But they need to throw the ball down the field to get some points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Silver star shines in spotlight: The Cowboys are 7-0 all-time against the Giants on Monday Night Football. However, one of those seven games was played on October 6, 1985 -- a Sunday night. Many happy returns: With eight career touchdowns on interception returns, Deion Sanders needs just one to tie Ken Houston for the NFL's all-time record. Will Kent Graham or Kerry Collins contribute to history? Stuck in the gate: Jim Fassel's Giants have started 2-3 in all three seasons in which he has been at the helm in New York.

The Giants offense has been somewhat stagnant. I'm kind of surprised the offense is struggling the way it is. I've spoken to Jim Fassel many times, and he is trying to be more aggressive with the offense. It just isn't happening. The quarterback changes are partly responsible for the problems.

Kent Graham and Kerry Collins are very similar in style because they are big, strong-armed pocket passers. Graham started the first three games before suffering a concussion and giving way to Collins. Now they are going back to Graham. What that leads to is more offensive inconsistency, something the Giants don't need.

Here are the keys for each team Monday night:

Dallas Cowboys
1. Stretch the defense: When you have Rocket Ismail, you must look downfield for big plays and not allow the defense to sit back and restrict that area of the field. Chan Gailey must open things up in his offense. In today's game, I see less teams using the short, high-percentage passing. I think the zone-blitzing defensive schemes are taking away a lot of the West Coast-style offense and the short-passing areas, forcing teams to go deeper down the field. The Cowboys need to make that adjustment and attack in the intermediate to deep area of the field. There's nothing wrong with dumping the ball off to your backs, but the design of the Cowboys offense must be more vertical.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith: The man with the common last name is having another uncommon season, leading the NFC in rushing. Cowboys WR Raghib Ismail: With the absence of Michael Irvin, the Rocket will be asked to step up, while the Giants defense is sure to focus on him. Cowboys CB Deion Sanders: The flashy cornerback returns to the scene of his brilliant two-TD performance in 1998 on Monday Night Football. Giants QB Kent Graham: He returns to the starting lineup after missing last week's game with a concussion. Prior to missing the contest in Arizona, Graham had started 10 straight games for New York. Giants G Luke Petitgout: The No. 1 draft pick has started every game this season for the Giants. Giants LB Jessie Armstead: Trying to become the first Giants linebacker since Lawrence Taylor to lead the team in sacks, Armstead has collected 4+ in his first five games.

2. More pressure, please: The Cowboys defense had been applying pressure to the quarterback before last week. The Eagles offensive line has been battered and bruised all year, and they did a nice job controlling the Dallas front seven. The Dallas defense must put a strong rush on Graham. Alonzo Spellman and Chad Hennings are getting no pressure up the middle, and Kavika Pittman and Greg Ellis have been ineffective on the outside.

3. Wanted: A reliable receiver: Aikman must find a receiver who can serve as a security blanket. I don't know who that will be. Without Irvin in the lineup, I don't see a consistent receiver who can make the big catch play in and play out. Ernie Mills, Irvin's replacement, is just another receiver. He is a good receiver, but he won't win games for the Cowboys. They tried to get tight ends Eric Bjornson and David Lafleur more involved in the passing game early in the season, but they have gotten away from that.

New York Giants
1. Find offensive production: The Giants have some excellent receivers in Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer who can make plays if they get the ball. I think they will go back to a power running game behind Gary Brown. That's the way they will try to establish this game, with a tough, physical, hit-them-in-the-mouth style. But I'm a believer in doing things down the field. The points must come out of the passing game.

2. Send Sehorn: The Giants defense is still one of the best in football. With Jason Sehorn back healthy once again, they have the opportunity to use all their zone-blitz schemes. Defensive coordinator John Fox knows how to use Sehorn. He will blitz off the slot or off the corner and do so very effectively. We will see a lot of Sehorn blitzing from the corner position, not only to attack the quarterback, but to blow up the run before it gets started because the Cowboys love to run weakside. Against the Eagles, they ran weakside 11 times. If the Giants can slow down the weakside running of Smith, that will be a plus. They can do it with Sehorn blitzing off the corner.

3. Tee off on Troy: Aikman was really out of sync with his receivers last week. His offensive line and backs didn't pick up the blitz well. So the key will be Michael Strahan, Jessie Armstead and company pressuring Aikman. They can't let Aikman get hot. He didn't against the Eagles last week, and Dallas lost. The Giants can take advantage of Aikman not having Irvin, his go-to receiver. Ismail is the Cowboys' deep threat, but he dropped three passes last week. He has a tendency to drop balls. If Aikman has trouble finding his receivers, the Giants can get to him more often.

Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski appears each week on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown and Edge NFL Matchup. He breaks down the Monday Night Football matchup each week on ESPN.com.