'Unraveling'? Cowboys at Giants: 3 Keys in Must-Win 'TNF' Showdown

The Dallas Cowboys are in freefall after two brutal losses and now face a New York Giants team at MetLife Stadium that smells blood in the water.

With the Cowboys showing signs last week that they are "coming apart at the seams," as our own Mike Fisher detailed , it doesn't feel like much has to go wrong for Dallas to completely unravel on national television.

After such a heated week, there are a lot of storylines to focus on against the Giants for Dallas, and with so much attention already on the franchise, this feels like the Cowboys have to get a win by any means necessary.

Here are three things to look for at MetLife Stadium.

1. The response : This is perhaps the biggest thing to look for regarding Dallas, which goes for both sides of the ball.

If Dak Prescott and the offense have a poor three-and-out, or Mike Zimmer's defense gets gashed on the ground in the game's opening drive, how will they react?

After such a tumultuous week, how Dallas is mentally against the Giants might tell us a lot regarding how far or close things are away from imploding.

What sort of response will we get, if any?

2. Will the run defense get fixed? : The Cowboys have been run over in devastating fashion for back-to-back weeks, but they did seem to stem the tide towards the end of the game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Now, was that the Ravens taking their foot off the gas? Probably, yes, but at least there was a little bit of resistance.

Devin Singletary will no doubt be gauging how tough this Dallas defense feels early on. If he can pick up yards rather easily, then it will be interesting to see how Zimmer changes his approach.

The whole world knows the Giants will run the football, but the Dallas defense can't seem to stop anything right now.

Related: Upset Alert: Giants Catching 'Short Week' Cowboys at Right Time?

3. Player interaction : After the multiple sideline spats last week, it appears that from the outside, at least, players have kissed and made up.

But how will things play out at the first sign of trouble against New York? Will Lamb, who said he will be better at handling his emotions, be calmer if he does see the ball early?

Will Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence be at each other's throats if the run defense gets obliterated again?

Parsons stated earlier in the week, "I mean, everyone says it, but then again we got to see what happens Thursday," in response to getting every player following the gameplan and being professional, but the proof will be in how the team performs on the field.

Against a Giants team that always struggles against Dallas - the Cowboys have won 13 of the last 14 meetings - if things go south early, there will be no shortage of fireworks at MetLife.