In an entertaining back-and-forth contest, the New York Giants first blew a fourth quarter lead, then pulled off the fifth comeback of the week of at least 12 points to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 37-34, behind a superlative performance by Eli Manning. It looked like the Cowboys would come away with the win when they took a 34-22 lead after Tony Romo found Laurent Robinson and Dez Bryant for big passes downfield, and Sean Lee had a key interception of Eli Manning, but Manning led two touchdown drives and the Giants blocked a potential tying field goal attempt.
The game didn’t start promisingly for the Cowboys, as Tony Romo retreated into the end zone and safetied himself to open the scoring, and Eli Manning hit Hakeem Nicks for 64 yards to set up a field goal. The teams would trade scores for the rest of the first half, and Dallas would take a 17-15 lead into the second half.
The Cowboys extended their lead to 20-17, but Eli Manning found Mario Manningham wide open against a blitz for a 47-yard touchdown to make it 22-20. The Giants would have a chance to extend their lead, but Jay Ratliff split a gap in the Giants’ offensive line to stop Ahmad Bradshaw on third down and force the Giants to punt. After they then failed to prevent a touchback, on third-and-ten, Tony Romo found Laurent Robinson deep downfield over the top of Prince Amukamara for 74 yards, and the next play found Miles Austin, returning from injury, for a 27-22 lead.
It looked like the Giants would answer as they had on their previous possessions after Manning hit Mario Manningham to convert on fourth down inside the Cowboys 40, but Victor Butler tipped a third-down pass intended for Danny Ware and Sean Lee hauled in a tipped ball interception and took the ball out to midfield. Two plays later, Romo found a Dez Bryant, who’d had a quiet game, wide open for a 50-yard touchdown to take a 34-22 lead.
The Giants weren’t done though. Eli Manningham found Victor Cruz, Cruz again, and Hakeem Nicks, then Jake Ballard, and it was 34-29. The Cowboys had a chance to run the clock out, but Tony Romo just missed an open Miles Austin on third down, and the Giants got the ball back. Manning found Ballard, then Cruz, and Cruz again, and Brandon Jacobs finished off the drive. Danny Ware had the two-point conversion, and the G-Men were up 37-34. Romo then found Miles Austin two times to set up a 47-yard field goal attempt by Dan Bailey to send the game to overtime, but it was blocked by Jason Pierre-Paul.
With the win, the Giants eliminate the Cowboys’ one game lead and take the tiebreaker advantage. The two teams meet again, though, on January 1.
Three Stars
1. Eli Manning, QB, Giants. Under intense pressure from the Cowboys behind an offensive line dealing with a couple injuries and with a center in Kevin Boothe that struggled at times snapping the ball, he bought time and made big throws throughout the game. He’ss having the best season of his career.
2. Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys. Romo had a rough start, with a couple near interceptions on the Cowboys’ first possession and then the safety, but he was efficient and productive after that. Twenty-one of thirty-one, 321 yards, and four touchdowns, including the two big bombs, and he put his team in field goal position with little time and no timeouts.
3. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Giants. Two sacks, including the safety, plus a forced fumble that gave the Giants great field position. Then, of course the blocked field goal to prevent overtime. He’s having a tremendous sophomore campaign.
Three Duds
1. Giants secondary. Amukamara was beaten for Robinson’s big play. Corey Webster and Antrel Rolle left Bryant wide open. Miles Austin was wide open on what would’ve been a game-sealing pass at the end. They couldn’t stand up to Dallas’ aerial assualt.
2. Cowboys roster management. Only two healthy running backs, and both of them with injury histories? Felix Jones saved Jason Garrett’s bacon tonight with over 100 yards on the ground after DeMarco Murray went out in the first quarter with what proved to be a season-ending right ankle fracture.
3. Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants. Benched for the first half, reportedly for violating curfew, and ineffective when he was in the game in the second half.
