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5 Giants players to watch on Thanksgiving Day

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The Giants face a quick turnaround as they prepare for a Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys.

After losing their sixth consecutive game on Sunday, the Giants will look to get back in the win column in this week's divisional matchup. The Cowboys were able to snap a five-game losing streak themselves as they pulled off the upset victory on the road over the Commanders on Sunday.

Following Thursday's outing, the Giants will have back-to-back home games as they enter the final five-week stretch of the season.

Here are five players to watch in Thursday's game:

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. had one of his lowest volume games Sunday since taking over as the team's lead running back. The rookie carried the ball nine times while adding four receptions, with his 13 total touches being his second-fewest since Week 5 (he had nine touches in the Week 7 loss to the Eagles). He was productive with his opportunities, gaining 42 yards on the ground (4.7 avg.) and adding 28 yards through the air. However, he did lose a key fumble for the second consecutive week, this time with the Giants deep inside the Buccaneers' red zone.

The 24-year-old rookie back has a good opportunity for a bounce back performance this Thursday. The Cowboys enter this matchup ranking 29th in rushing yards allowed per attempt and 31st in total rushing yards allowed, while their 19 rushing touchdowns surrendered are the most in the NFL. Only one of Dallas' last six opponents has finished with less than 140 rushing yards when playing them.

View rare photos from the historic rivalry between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

WR Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers brought in six of nine targets for 64 yards against the Buccaneers last week. Since returning from a two-game absence due to a concussion, Nabers has seen no fewer than eight targets in a game. Over the last four weeks, the rookie has six or more receptions in every outing with 28 total catches during that span.

Nabers set a new NFL record last week with 67 receptions through his first nine games, beating Puka Nacua's previous record of 64 set last year. The rookie was targeted a whopping 15 times in the first meeting with the Cowboys. He finished that game with 12 receptions for 115 yards before a concussion late in the fourth quarter forced him to miss the final few minutes, along with the following two games. Despite missing those two games, Nabers still ranks seventh in the NFL with his 67 receptions, just 10 behind CeeDee Lamb for the league lead, while his 103 targets are the third most.

TE Theo Johnson

Through the first four weeks of the season, Theo Johnson recorded a total of three receptions. In the seven games since, Johnson has six different outings with at least three receptions, totaling anywhere from 30 to 51 receiving yards in those games. The 6-foot-5 rookie has come on as of late, seeing six targets in each of the last three weeks with a total of 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown during that span.

Heading into Week 13, Johnson ranks third among rookie tight ends and 12th among all rookies with his 277 receiving yards. The first-year tight end is faced with a tough matchup this week, though. The Cowboys have allowed the fourth-fewest receptions and the eighth-fewest receiving yards to the tight end position this year. However in Sunday's win, the Cowboys allowed Commanders tight end Zach Ertz to catch six passes for 38 yards and a touchdown, marking two of the last three games in which they surrendered a touchdown to a tight end (Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert in Week 10).

OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux

Kayvon Thibodeaux returned to the lineup Sunday after missing the previous five games with a wrist injury. While he was held without a sack, which snapped a three-game streak with at least a half-sack, Thibodeaux did make an impact with a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. While he added one pressure on Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, Thibodeaux made more of an impact in the run game.

Thibodeaux put together one of his better performances of the 2024 campaign in the Week 4 matchup against the Cowboys. The third-year outside linebacker picked up his only full sack of the season in that game while registering five total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, which matches his season-high. Over Dallas' last three games with Cooper Rush under center, the veteran quarterback has been sacked a total of seven times, although five came in their Week 11 loss to the Texans.

S Tyler Nubin

Tyler Nubin continues to be a consistent presence in the Giants' secondary. The rookie safety has been on the field for all but two of the Giants' defensive snaps this season, playing every snap in 10 of 11 outings. Nubin recorded his second consecutive game with a team-high 12 total tackles this past Sunday against the Buccaneers, and also added an impressive pass breakup while in coverage on Mike Evans.

Nubin now ranks second on the Giants with 81 total tackles this year, just two behind Bobby Okereke for the team-lead, while also leading all rookies in total tackles. While PFF credited him with four receptions for 37 yards allowed on eight targets, Nubin earned a 63.0 passer rating when targeted. His coverage skills will be needed in Thursday's matchup in Dallas. With starting tight end Jake Ferguson sidelined for Sunday's game against the Commanders due to a concussion, backup Luke Schoonmaker stepped up in his place with three receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.

View photos of every move made by the Giants during the 2024 cycle.