In Week 5, Dallas heads to New York to face a winless Jets (0-4). On paper, it feels like the Jets’ season is already six feet under, but a loss against the Cowboys would put the final nail in the coffin. Dallas, meanwhile, does not have the luxury to slip up at MetLife Stadium. It’s also worth noting that although the Jets have easily been among the league’s worst teams this season, three of their four losses have been decided by a single score. As for the Cowboys, they can not stumble here after a wild 40-40 tie with the Packers last week. Now, with barely two days left for the faceoff, here are five storylines you need to keep your eye on.

1) Aaron Glenn is hunting his first win after a brutal 0-4 start

Aaron Glenn’s Jets stroll into Week 5 still staring at that big, ugly zero in the win column. Their latest heartbreak? A 27–21 loss to the Dolphins, a team that was 0-3 themselves coming in. The frustrating part is they’ve flashed potential before against the Steelers and Bucs. But those glimpses just keep vanishing when it matters most, and against Miami, it was more of the same: promising stretches undone by self-inflicted wounds.

While offense is not that much of a problem, averaging 182 rushing yards per game, defensively, the Jets are among the bottom-placed teams, allowing 30 points per game.

And the elephant in the room. How long does HC Glenn get before the seat gets uncomfortably warm? It’s only Week 5, but after an offseason full of moves, ownership didn’t build this roster just to watch it sink in September. The front office may not have too much patience.

2) The Cowboys’ injury picture is ugly

The Cowboys’ injury list is starting to look uglier and uglier as the weeks pass by. About 15 names long and stretching across IR, NFI, PUP, and the “can’t practice this week” crew. The good news? There might be some reinforcements on the horizon. A few guys are eligible to crack open that 21-day practice window, and one name to circle is Jonathan Mingo (knee).

If CeeDee Lamb and a couple of other wideouts can’t go, Mingo’s return could be what would hand the Jets their fifth loss of the season.

3) The Jets’ recurring penalty problem

You could argue that the Jets‘ loss to Miami was self-inflicted. They gave up 13 penalties for 101 yards and three turnovers. There’s only so much blame you could pin on Aaron Glenn for that. “There’s no way you can win any game with 13 penalties and three turnovers. It just can’t happen,” Glenn said, post-game.

And these penalty problems aren’t popping up out of the blue. The Jets sat at number one in the league last season…for most penalties given away. 137, to be exact. Safe to say, the situation isn’t a lot better this season.

4) Key players to watch

Dak Prescott

He’s expected to put in another masterclass after what was arguably his best performance in Dallas’ colours against the Packers. Prescott was almost flawless, hitting on 77.5% percent of his passes for 319 yards, three touchdowns without any interceptions. And since that wasn’t enough, the Cowboys QB added a rushing score as well. That makes 22 career games with both a passing and rushing score, the most by any QB in Cowboys history, and third among NFL QBs since 2016.

Armand Membou

Through four weeks, Pro Football Focus has Xavier Membou looking like one of the NFL’s best-kept secrets at right tackle. His overall grade of 76.6 is third-best at the position, and he’s mauling guys in the run game with a 79.0 grade (fourth). Even in pass protection, where rookies usually get exposed, his 68.8 mark is still good for 11th.

Oh, and while the Jets conceded 13 penalties vs the Dolphins, Membou hasn’t conceded one across 242 snaps.

George Pickens

George Pickens’ first few weeks in Dallas were pretty tame. He racked up 13 grabs, 166 yards, and two scores. Nice, but not exactly headline-grabbing. Then CeeDee Lamb went down with a high ankle sprain, and suddenly Pickens looked every bit like a WR1. His first full game in that role? Catching eight of those 11 passes from Prescott, 134 yards, and two touchdowns, like it was nothing. It’ll be interesting to see if he builds on that against what is one of the worst defenses in the league.

5) Fantasy prediction

The Jets’ defense has been springing leaks, giving up 34, 30, 29, and then 27 on Monday night to a Dolphins offense that can barely get out of its own way. And now, with no rest, here come the Cowboys. They’ve let the Giants hang 37, the Packers torch them for 40, and even the Bears stroll into the end zone. This one screams points, and the over at 47 feels like free money.