In a cruel twist, New York Giants fans face a rooting dilemma ahead of Monday Night Football that, no matter which way they lean, feels a bit like a betrayal.

With Big Blue comfortably in first place, fans could be forgiven this week if they root for one divisional opponent to beat the other, right?

That’s the dilemma Giants fans face regarding the Monday night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, who square off at Lincoln Financial Field. 

Both teams are 2-4, behind the Giants, who sit atop the NFC East at 4-2-1 and will remain there regardless of what happens on Monday night. (The Commanders, at 1-4-1, have a bye this week.)

So who should Giants fans root for in the Monday night game? On the one hand, the answer should be the Eagles, whose roster has been significantly gutted. An Eagles win over the Cowboys would drop Dallas, widely regarded as the Giants’ biggest competition for the division crown, to 2-5 on the year.

Then there is the argument that Giants fans would be better off rooting for the Cowboys, who, if they win, would improve to 3-4 and move into second place in the division, while dropping the Eagles to 2-5.

The answer may come down to personal preference, but outside of rooting for a tie, it probably makes more sense for Big Blue faithful to root for the Cowboys. 

Remember, the Giants already have a 1-0 head-to-head advantage over Dallas, which gives them a tiebreaker edge.

Meanwhile, the Giants haven’t faced the Eagles yet. That game is on tap after the bye, and it will take place at Philadelphia’s “House of Horrors,” a.k.a. Lincoln Financial Field, where the Giants have not won a game (regular season or postseason) since Oct. 27, 2013.

To put that dry spell into perspective, since that last win as led by Eli Manning, the Giants have used 12 different starting quarterbacks.

Does It Even Matter Who Wins MNF?

This is a new era of Giants football, and head coach John Harbaugh has the players believing they can beat anyone at any place and any time.

That was evident in how they went after a Houston Texans team that, despite entering the Week 7 game with a 2-4 record, boasted a top defense and a surging offense, neither of which did much to stop a determined Giants team.

And did we mention the Giants won that game without their starting quarterback (Jaxson Dart), their starting inside linebacker (Tremaine Edmunds), one of their starting cornerbacks (Greg Newsome II), and one of their starting safeties (Jevon Holland)?

So maybe at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who Giants fans root for tonight, unless it’s for the Eagles and Cowboys to somehow beat up each other physically.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.