Two teams heading in opposite directions faced off on Sunday Night Football when the New York Giants played host to the Dallas Cowboys. Though they fought hard, Dallas came away with a hard-fought 31-28 win in this matchup.
Cowboys vs. Giants 2014 final score: 3 things we learned from Dallas’ 31-28 shootout win
The Giants and Cowboys had a an old-fashioned shootout that saw Dallas survive to remain tied with the Eagles atop the NFC East.
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Sitting at 3-7 and tied with Washington for last place in the NFC East, the Giants were just trying to pick up a win and gain some respectability, something they’ve lost since winning the Super Bowl just over two years ago.
They had a chance to do just that while also derailing one of their biggest rival's playoff hopes. The Cowboys entered this game at 7-3, one game behind the 8-3 Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East. The Giants entered this game having lost five straight after narrowly losing to the San Francisco 49ers at home in Week 11, 16-10.
That game saw Eli Manning have one of the worst games of his career as he threw five interceptions, but he looked much better against Dallas, particularly in the first half. It started on New York's first drive -- Manning picked apart the Cowboys secondary before hitting rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (more on him later) for the 3-yard score to give the G-Men an early 7-0 lead.
Though the Giants would hold a lead for much of the first three quarters, Dallas prevailed with the win after New York turned the ball over on downs with under a minute left in the game.
Here are three things we learned from this one:
1. Tony Romo is back (pun intended)
Because the Cowboys won, the story of the night was how well Tony Romo played in just his second game since injuring his back in Week 8. He was the reason Dallas won this one, as he continuously led the Cowboys offense down the field just as it appeared New york was pulling away.
Romo and the offense would would respond to the Giants' first score with a drive that ended in a Dan Bailey field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. New York went down the field and scored again after Manning hit Beckham Jr. again for one of the greatest catches you'll ever see.
The gave the G-Men a 14-3 lead, but Romo would respond with a touchdown drive that ended with him hitting Jason Witten for a 4-yard score to cut the lead to 14-10. The Giants answered Dallas score again with a touchdown drive in which the two biggest plays were catches by Beckham, one going for 14 yards and another for 12 yards. The drive ended with rookie running back Andre Williams running in for the score to put the Giants up, 21-10.
That was the score going into halftime, but Dallas would take control in the second half. After both teams traded punts, Romo led the Cowboys on a scoring drive that ended with him hitting receiver Cole Beasley for the 45-yard score to cut the Giants' lead to 21-17.
On the ensuing drive, Manning got the Giants into the red zone, but threw a costly interception that Barry Church returned to midfield. Dallas capitalized with Romo hitting Dez Bryant for the score to put the Cowboys up, 24-21.
Manning would rebound and lead the Giants on a fourth-quarter drive that ended with him hitting tight end Adrien Robinson for a 1-yard score to put New York back up, 28-24.
Then it was Dallas’s turn to answer. Romo led the offense down the field before hitting Bryant for a 13-yard score to put the Cowboys back up, 31-28. That turned out the be the game-winning score.
Romo finished the night with 275 yards passing to go with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the 3-point win. He was the reason why the Cowboys won, and it’s safe to say he’s all the way back from his back injury.
2. Odell Beckham Jr. is the best Giant on offense
The Giants took command of this game early thanks to the amazing play of rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. However, right after Dallas took its first lead of the night, Beckham was forced from the game with a back injury, and the team initially ruled his return as questionable. He did return, but didn't catch another pass.
Prior to leaving the game, Beckham caught 10 passes for 146 yards and two scores in essentially three quarters of work, and the Giants offense didn’t do much outside of him. Over the past four games now, Beckham has caught 33 passes for 503 yards and two scores. He’s become one of the top rookies and young receivers in the game with a bright future ahead of him.
The next closest receiver was tight end Daniel Fells, who caught three passes for 35 yards. The Giants had rushed for under 80 yards prior to Beckham's exit as well. Needless to say, Beckham is becoming the best player on the Giants offense, and in case you doubt that, watch this catch again.
3. The Giants are done
With the loss, New York is now 3-8 and tied for last place in the NFC East. They’re all but eliminated from the playoff race, and they’re effectively in rebuilding mode.
That was evident in this game, with rookies accouncint for all but one score for the Giants. The Giants will also likely be looking for a new head coach come season’s end -- Tom Coughlin is now 19-24 over his last three seasons.
Regardless of what happens there, the G-Men can only play spoiler to their playoff contenders going forward.
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