Cowboys 28, Giants 20
Though the Giants needed a last-second touchdown to stay within single digits and cover the spread, they led for a good portion of the first half and did a good job of limiting Dallas’ offense for most of the afternoon. They had a legitimate chance to win, but some mistakes sabotaged a potential victory.
An early touchdown for the Giants was negated by an ineligible player downfield, forcing them to settle for a field goal. However, this game turned in the third quarter when New York was down 14-13 in the third quarter. The team was forced into a fourth-and-1 close to midfield. Brian Daboll decided to go for it, which was a curious decision to begin with, but the execution was far worse. Daniel Jones lined up in a shotgun formation, negating the possibility of a quarterback sneak. Jones then lofted a pass to Saquon Barkley, which was off the mark and incomplete. What’s worse, instant replay showed afterward that the Giants had just 10 players on the field for this important snap.
This turnover on downs gave the Cowboys a free scoring opportunity. Dallas had just gotten into the end zone, so it didn’t need that extra boost. The Cowboys took advantage of it, quickly scoring a touchdown to go up eight. Another failed drive allowed the Cowboys to eat up the clock and clinch the victory, despite what happened in garbage time.
Ezekiel Elliott and CeeDee Lamb were the stars for the Cowboys. Lamb caught six passes for 106 yards and was inches away from scoring a touchdown, but his heel hit the white paint in the back of the end zone. Elliott rumbled for 92 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He actually had fewer carries than Tony Pollard, who was limited to 60 yards on 18 carries, but he likely would have scored on one of Elliott’s big gains because of his game-breaking ability.
