Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said Wednesday that he still believes his 1-4 team is capable of turning its season around.
"We're third in the NFL in offense and fourth in defense. We have outgained our opponents by about 600 yards in five games. Usually when you're moving the ball and stopping the other team, you have a chance to win. We haven't been able to do that well enough," Phillips said. "We expect to win. The last three years, we have won more games than any other team in the NFC, so yeah, the expectations are high and we felt like we were going to have a better team. We haven't done that so far but the season isn't over."
Those stats have not translated into victories for Dallas, largely because of mistakes and penalties. The Cowboys have 49 penalties, and only two teams have more.
"We had high expectations and we haven't reached that, but we still have a chance. The season is not over, and we're looking forward to this ball game. We are looking forward to winning at home, playing at home, Monday night, all the great things," Phillips said. "We can feel better about ourselves if we can beat the Giants because the Giants are really the team right at the top of our division.
"We just have to keep playing and try to get better."
Phillips knows that the Giants, who have won three straight, will be a challenge for the Cowboys Monday night.
"I think they're a good team. I think they have been a good team all along. They had some close games. They're a solid football team on offense, defense, and special teams," said Phillips. "They're well coached. I wouldn't expect any less. They beat us twice last year. Even though we won the division last year, they beat us twice."