This past Sunday the Dallas Cowboys faced off against the past Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants. The Giants came into this week eight match up 5-2 on the season while the Cowboys were 3-3 and coming off of a weak win against Carolina. The G-men were obvious favorites in this match up, and were looking to avenge a frustrating loss to the Cowboys back in week one.
The rivalry was definitely present before the game as fans showed no sign of friendliness towards on another. In a press conference held earlier in the week, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said, “Itʼs the (NFC) East, fans expect it to be (an) exciting game.” Sure enough it was.
The Giants won the toss and elected to receive. Cowboys stadium was electric as 90 thousand plus fans were on their feet in anticipation of a great game. The Giants looked to waste little time as Eli Manning and company converted their first drive into 3 points after 7 plays covering 57 yards. The crowd was still screaming and both teams were energized as the Cowboys came out on offense in drive number 2. The cowboys came out ready to play, and they showed it moving the ball gradually. Things changed suddenly when, to no surprise, Romo threw an interception and the crowd was silenced. The Cowboys started to realize they might be in trouble. New York’s offensive squad showed some struggle and only managed to get another field goal.
At the end of the first quarter the Giants found themselves up 16-0, even thought it should have been more considering the opportunities they had.
Dallasʼ offense started the 2nd quarter like they ended the first, in failure. Romo threw interception number three of the day, and this time it was a pick six credited to Jason Pierre Paul. Romo began to look like his interception-prone self yet again. The Giants were up 23-0 and it was looking like the game was slipping away. Dallas generated a small spark late in the second quarter, and scored 10 point to close the gap to 23-10 at the half.
The Halloween-themed half time show rolled around and it was anything but normal, but the second half of football began with a bang. America’s Team decided enough was enough and drove the ball 86 yards for a touchdown making it 23-17. The Cowboys knew this was their chance and they capitalized on it. After forcing the Giants to punt, a mid 3rd quarter drive would soon turn into another touchdown that gave them the lead for the first time of the game 24-23. The fans had hope and the crowd was reenergized, as the Cowboys had erased a 23-point deficit and now was clinging to a 1 point lead. The Cowboys had never come back from a 23-point deficit in the history of the franchise.
The Giants had a fight on their hand, and they quickly took a two point lead after another field goal, putting the onus back on the Cowboys. New York and particularly Eli Manning, are notorious for performing phenomenally in the 4th. This game was no exception as the Giants forced two more turnovers in the fourth – another pick as well as a fumble. These two lost possessions hurt the Cowboys, putting them down by 3 more points.
But with 44 seconds remaining, the Cowboys still had a shot despite all the turnovers. The Giants were ahead 29-24 but the Cowboys had one more possession and they needed to be quick. Romo connected with Dez Bryant for what appeared to be a game winning touchdown with 0:10 left on the clock, putting Dallas ahead by 1 point; however, after further review… it was not to be. The call was overturned in a heartbreaking ruling for Cowboys fans:
Bryant had landed on his hand first with his fingers extending out of the back of the end zone by mere inches, which put him out of bounds. The TD was called back and the Cowboys weren’t able to convert in the remaining time. The Giants held on to win 29-24. The Giants were disappointed in surrendering a 23-point lead; however, a win is a win, and they are now 6-2 and looking like a strong contender to make a possible back to back Super Bowl run.
All in all it was an eventful game with everything from Jerry Jones getting booed by frustrated Cowboys fans to Jason Witten breaking his own record for most receptions by a tight end (18). The Cowboys fought back well, erasing a 23-point deficit, but in the end there were just far too many turnovers to pull out the victory.
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