Dak Prescott had his first bad game. He’ll be fine and so will the Cowboys.

Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t have an outstanding performance in a 10-7 loss to the Giants on Sunday night, but he kept drives alive and made some great throws. He also committed two turnovers.

Since the Cowboys were running the ball well, the rookie signal-caller complemented it with play-action passes.

On Dallas’ second possession of the game, Prescott capped off a 10-play, 67-yard drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass to receiver Terrance Williams. The rookie quarterback faked the pitch to Elliot, rolled to his right, and found Williams wide open for the score. Dallas took a 7-0 lead.

With a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, Presoctt threw an interception to Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins. He stepped in front of a pass intended for Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant.

The rookie signal caller threw a back-breaking interception late in the third quarter. Prescott threw a deep ball intended for Bryant, but cornerback Leon Hall intercepted the pass and returned it for 29 yards.

That turnover led to a 61-yard touchdown reception by Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham caught the short pass and raced past multiple defenders for the long touchdown. The Giants took a 10-7 lead.

Prescott finished the game with 165 yards to go along with one touchdown and two interceptions. It was the first time he threw more than one interception in a game and his worst outing as a pro. However, it was only his 13th game as a pro. He was bound to have a bad night at some point, but Prescott seems uniquely wired to bounce back.

Owner Jerry Jones was standing by his man after the game. When asked if he would consider switching to Tony Romo over Prescott, he gave an emphatic “no.”

Jones put Prescott’s night in perspective in a conversation with Judy Battista of the NFL Network.

”He’s got 13 NFL ballgames at a high level under his belt and what’s he got, four interceptions now? Four? So four interceptions. I feel good about our quarterback and I like where we are at the quarterback position.

“Most of what happened to us tonight was a well-coached New York Giants defense.”

Manning’s turnovers and struggles

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning struggled with holding on to the ball in this game. His offensive line did a horrible job in pass protection, and Manning got harassed all day while standing in the pocket.

Late in the first quarter, Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee strip-sacked Manning, and Dallas defensive tackle Cedric Thornton recovered the ball. The Cowboys defense wasn’t done forcing turnovers.

Midway through the second quarter, Manning committed another turnover. Cowboys defensive end Benson Mayowa beat Giants offensive tackle Ereck Flowers off the edge, hit Manning, and the ball came out. Lee recovered the ball.

Manning didn’t have enough time in the pocket to make decisions, and he only threw for 80 yards in the first half.

In the second half, Manning played better but still made a lot of mistakes. Following his 61-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr., the veteran quarterback threw an interception to Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown in the fourth quarter.

Luckily for Manning, the Giants defense did not let the Cowboys offense score points off of that turnover. He threw for 193 yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception.

Elliot, the workhorse

Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot ran the ball 15 times in the first half for 88 yards. He has a rare combination of size, speed, and agility. Whenever Dallas needed a first down, it called on Elliot.

The Giants had a hard time defending the run. Also, Dallas’ offensive line had success against New York’s front seven. It created rushing lanes for the rookie running back, and Elliot did a great job of churning his legs to gain extra yards.

In the second half, the Giants did a better job of containing Elliot, but he still finished the game with 24 carries for 107 yards.

Stingy defenses

Indeed, New York’s offense struggled to gain yards and score points, but you have to give credit to the Cowboys defense. They did not allow a lot of big plays. Dallas did a great job defending the run buy clogging up rushing lanes and tackling runners near or behind the line of scrimmage.

New York’s offensive line could not stop defenders from getting in the backfield. Other than Beckham’s 61-yard touchdown, Dallas’ defense did not surrender a lot of big plays. The Cowboys secondary didn’t allow the Giants receivers to get open often.

Beckham finished with four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. New York only gained 260 yards of total offense.

New York’s defense was even better. In addition to the two interceptions and a fumble recovered, they held the Cowboys to just one third-down conversion on 15 attempts. They sacked Prescott three times and hit him eight.

Undrafted rookie Romeo Okwara had the chance to be a hero, filling in for the injured Jason Pierre-Paul, and he made the most of it. He sacked Prescott in the second quarter, and just before the end of the half, snuffed out a potential Dallas scoring drive when he tackled short of the sticks on third down.

Where are you, Dez?

Dez Bryant, Dallas’ star receiver, hauled in one catch in this game, but he fumbled the ball. Down 10-7 late in the fourth quarter, Prescott threw a pass to Bryant, but Jenkins forced the ball out of the veteran receiver’s hands. He only had one catch for 10 yards.

“It was just an unfortunate situation. I’m at a loss for words,” Bryant said after the game. “I can’t believe it came out, but it did. We made too many mistakes and it cost us.”

Also, Prescott’s two interceptions came when he targeted Bryant. Since the Cowboys have a potent rushing attack, Bryant does not need to great games all the time. However, he has to help Prescott out in the passing game.

What’s next for both teams

New York will travel back home for a Week 15 matchup against the Detroit Lions. The Giants must continue to play stingy defense. However, they need to score more points. This team has a chance to clinch a wildcard spot in the NFC.

Dallas will head back home for a Week 15 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys are still the best team in the NFC, but they have to find ways to gain yards through the air.