The Cowboys head north to the Meadowlands as this always-intense NFC East rivalry is renewed on Monday Night Football for the second straight year and the seventh time overall.

Dallas owns a commanding 46-25-2 advantage in this rivalry's standings, and last season swept New York for the first time since 1995. In Week 3 on a Monday night at the Meadowlands, Cowboys CB Deion Sanders put on a show, returning a second-quarter punt 59 yards for a score and later returning an interception 71 yards for a touchdown as Chan Gailey's team handed New York a humbling 31-7 setback.

Seven weeks later at Texas Stadium (Week 10), Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith ran for 163 yards and the Dallas' defense kept the Giants out of the end zone as Dallas scratched out a 16-6 victory.

Despite last year's victory, the Cowboys are just 4-7 in their last 11 road tilts in this series dating back to 1988.

Numbers: In his last 13 games vs. the Giants, Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith has carried 280 times for 1,346 yards and 12 touchdowns (rushing for 100 or more yards in 7 contests), plus caught 58 passes for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns. Smith has rushed for 100 or more yards in nine of his last 16 contests dating back to '98. Smith has scored at least one touchdown in five straight games dating back to '98. The Cowboys have outscored the opposition a combined 34-3 in the first quarter in four games in '99...In 11 games vs. NFC East rivals dating back to '98 (under head coach Chan Gailey), the Cowboys are 10-1, totaling 307 points and 32 offensive touchdowns in those 11 contests. The Cowboys have scored 30 or more points in 7 of those 11 contests. Including playoffs, Cowboys CB Deion Sanders has scored 21 touchdowns in 6 different ways (8 interceptions, 5 punt returns, 3 kickoff returns, 3 receptions, 1 rushing and 1 fumble recovery) in 11 NFL seasons (1989-99). Including playoffs, the Cowboys have allowed 19 TD passes in their last 12 games dating back to '98, this after giving up just nine touchdown passes in their first nine contests in '98. They have limited the opposition to 13 or fewer points in three straight games.

Since 1996 (including playoffs), the Giants have committed just 27 turnovers in 26 wins, 63 turnovers in 27 losses and a tie. The Giants have forced 2 or more turnovers in 22 of their last 33 games (23-of-34, including playoffs) dating back to '97. The Giants have scored 243 points and committed just 12 turnovers in 10 wins, while scoring just 115 points and committing 23 turnovers in 11 losses dating back to '98. They have forced 28 turnovers and totaled 42 sacks in 10 wins, while totaling just five takeaways and 24 sacks in 11 losses dating back to '98. They have been limited to 16 or fewer points in three straight games, and have limited the opposition to 16 or fewer points in three straight games.

Things To Look For: After routing the Cardinals two weeks ago, the Cowboys looked like they had a clear path to the NFC East title. But a funny thing happened on the way and in Philadelphia, and suddenly Chan Gailey's club look very vulnerable, especially with the loss of WR Michael Irvin. The Giants' aggressive defense continues to play well and must continue to carry the load until the offense finds itself.

Etc.: The Cowboys are making their second of three Monday night appearances this season (1-0 in '99) and are 33-23 lifetime on Monday Night Football, including 17-14 on the road. They are making their 57th appearance on Monday Night Football, second-most in NFL history next to the Dolphins (62). The Giants are 14-23-1 lifetime on Monday Night Football, including just 5-6 at home...As previously mentioned, this marks the seventh Monday night meeting between the clubs (fourth since 1994), Dallas owning a perfect 6-0 mark in those contests--the last 3 Monday night battles (1994, '95 and '98) by a combined 104-17 score.

Including playoffs, the Cowboys are 50-20 (2-1 in playoffs) vs. NFC East competition since 1991, including 18-10 vs. divisional competition since '96. They are 13-5-1 vs. NFC East opponents and just 7-12 (0-1 in playoffs) vs. the rest of the NFL under head coach Jim Fassel (1997-99). RB Emmitt Smith (3,018) needs 4 rushing attempts to tie Marcus Allen (3,022) for 3rd place on the NFL's all-time rushing attempts list. Smith (12,975) needs 25 yards to become the 4th player in NFL history with 13,000 career rushing yards.