Week 13 Game Recap: Dallas Cowboys 23, New York Giants 20

What you need to know

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas came into Giants Stadium winning four of their last five and holding a one game lead over the Giants for first place in the NFC East. In what figured to be a hard fought battle, this one didn’t disappoint. Dallas just picked up Martin Gramatica last week after letting Mike Vanderjagt go. It would just figure that he would play a big part in the game. Gramatica was thrown right into the mix on Dallas’ first drive of the game. He missed wide right from 44 yards and Parcells had to be thinking here we go again. Gramatica would redeem himself later making three field goals, including the game winner with just six seconds to go.

Tony Romo had a slow first half where he threw two interceptions. Maybe he was a little too pumped up because he was a little wild on a few throws. One of the interceptions was on a tipped pass so it wasn’t totally his fault. The other one was just a bad overthrow on a pass to Owens. He settled down in the second half like he has done in his previous games. He led Dallas on three scoring drives including the last two in the final minutes of the game. Romo’s final numbers were 20 of 34 for 257 yards. He didn’t throw for a touchdown and had two interceptions. He was able to scramble well and avoid the strong New York pass rush all but one time.

The Dallas running game was a tale of two running backs. Julius Jones couldn’t seem to get anything going, picking up just 24 yards on 11 carries and no touchdowns. The bad news for Jones is that Parcells is looking towards Barber more and more during key situations and goal line carries. Barber, on the other hand, had an excellent game. He carried 12 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Barber had two big runs of 16 and 25 yards. The second one came late in the second quarter and set up a Dallas field goal with time running out in the first half.

Terrell Owens caught eight passes for 84 yards. The disturbing trend for him is his dropped passes. It seems every game now, Owens has at least two or three drops. He had at least two that would have resulted in first downs. It wasn’t all doom and gloom for him though. He picked up five first downs throughout the game. Terry Glenn added four catches for 52 yards. He had a long pickup of 27 yards early on in the second quarter but the Dallas stalled at midfield. The catch of the game would have to go to Jason Witten. With the Giants tying the game at 20-20 with 1:12 left to go in the game, Dallas came out and threw long to Witten. He beat the defense and hauled in the bomb for 42 yards. It put Dallas at the New York 26 yard line. Four plays later, Gramatica hit the game winning 46 yard field.

New York Giants

The Giants played better this week but they are still a team in disarray. Once again, undisciplined play was a factor in the game. The Giants were called for four personal fouls and overall took nine penalties in the game. The defense was called for a pass interference penalty in the end zone that led to the first of Marion Barber’s touchdowns. The oddest play of the game was on an interception by Kiwanuka. He picked off a tipped ball and on the return just dropped the ball as he was trying to switch hands. Dallas recovered the ball and then four plays later scored their first touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.

Eli Manning was on the hot seat this week after throwing a terrible interception the previous week in the loss to Tennessee. He played very well against Dallas, completing 24 of 36 for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Manning protected the ball well and did not turn the ball over. He moved out of the pocket and was able to improvise to make some plays. He threw a nice 17 yard touchdown pass to Shockey in the left corner of the end zone for the first score of the game. His best drive of the game was right near the end with the Giants down by seven points. Manning drove the field in seven plays. He completed six passes for 59 yards and capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Burress from five yards out.

Tiki Barber had a solid game, rushing for 90 yards and adding another 53 yards receiving. He took a direct snap and picked up 20 yards on the play. He also took a screen pass for 28 yards on the drive in the fourth quarter when the Giants tied the game at 20-20. Barber fumbled once but the Giants recovered. After the play Barber came off the field holding his hand. He returned to the game a few plays later. Brandon Jacobs was again used as the short yardage back. He picked up 29 yards on five carries and also added a 43 yard catch and run that led to a New York field goal. He was involved in a key play in the second quarter. With New York having the momentum and facing a fourth and one at the Dallas 24 yard line, Jacobs lost three yards to give the ball back to the Cowboys. Dallas then drove the field and took the lead into the locker room.

What you ought to know

QB Tony Romo, Pass: 20 - 34 - 257 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 10 - 0

Romo was a little wild in the first half but settled down to lead Dallas to two fourth quarter scores that sealed the win for the Cowboys. Romo completed 20 of 34 passes for 257 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdowns but did have two interceptions. He had a couple of near misses in the end zone but neither one was brought down for a completion. Romo’s scrambling ability has been a huge asset for the Dallas offense. Once again, he avoided a number of sacks by dodging the New York pass rush. He almost committed a cardinal sin when he was nearly sacked with no timeouts and time running out in the first half. He avoided the rush and threw the ball away, allowing Dallas to kick a field goal and take the lead 10-7 at the half. His best throw came with just a minute remaining in the game. The Giants had just tied the game when Romo scrambled to his left and found Witten down the field for a 42 yard gain. It put Dallas at the New York 26 yard line and allowed Dallas to kick the game winning field goal.

RB Marion Barber III, Rush: 12 - 76 - 2

Barber doesn’t have the explosiveness of Julius Jones but he is the trusted running back in key situations for the Cowboys. Parcells loves to use Barber in goal line situations and when Dallas needs to protect the ball late in games. Barber scored twice from inside the ten yard line. One was on a one yard run and the other was from the seven yard line. On the second touchdown, Barber made a great cutback to avoid a tackle and took it into the end zone.

RB Julius Jones, Rush: 11 - 24 - 0, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (2 targets)

Jones had 24 yards on 11 carries. He never got on track in the game against a tough New York rush defense. His longest run was six yards and it was on the third play of the game. He also added a catch for 11 yards. The catch gave Dallas a first down at the New York 36 yard line. Dallas would score a field goal on the drive to take the lead 13-10 going into the fourth quarter. As is always the case, Jones came out of the game when Dallas got deep into New York territory.

WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 8 - 84 - 0 (13 targets)

Romo looked his way 13 times with Owens pulling in eight passes for 84 yards. He had a couple of catches where he was able to break tackles and pick up extra yards. Once again though, he had a couple of drops that would have given Dallas first downs. Romo is definitely keeping Owens happy with the number of passes he is throwing his way. Owens’ only real chance for a touchdown was in the first half. Romo scrambled and threw deep for Owens. It was thrown too deep so when Owens made the catch there was just no way to come down in bounds.

WR Terry Glenn, Rec: 4 - 52 - 0 (8 targets)

Glenn caught four passes for 52 yards. His longest reception went for 27 yards and it got Dallas out of their own end. Dallas ended up having to punt but it led to a big change of field position. Romo only looked his way twice in the second half. His reception in the fourth quarter was a big play. He picked up a big first down on a third and five at the New York 15 yard line. As he went out of bounds he got hit late and the officials threw the flag. It led to the ball being spotted at the New York two yard line. Three plays later Dallas had their second touchdown. The touchdown ended up being huge since the Giants scored a touchdown on their next possession to tie the game instead of take the lead.

WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 3 - 31 - 0 (4 targets)

Crayton caught three passes for 31 yards. All three of Crayton’s catches went for first downs. He made an excellent catch in the fourth quarter when it seemed like the Giants had an interception. The ball went through Gibril Wilson’s hands and Crayton had great concentration to pull the ball in and pick up the first down. A few plays later Dallas had their second touchdown and a 20-13 lead.

TE Jason Witten, Rec: 3 - 73 - 0 (4 targets)

Witten caught three passes for 73 yards. As it turned out, each of his catches came on a drive where Dallas scored. He had the catch of the game in the fourth quarter. The Giants had just tied the game with 1:12 remaining. On the very next play, Romo found Witten deep down field for a 42 yard gain and allowed Dallas to win the game with a last second field goal.

PK Martin Gramatica 3 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points

Gramatica was picked up by Dallas this past week after they released Mike Vanderjagt. Gramatica was tested right away. Dallas got the ball first and drove into position for a 44 yard field goal try. He missed wide right from 44 yards out. Not the start Parcells was hoping for. Gramatica came back and hit his next three attempts including the game winning field goal from 46 yards. He also made both of his extra point attempts.

DAL Rush Defense

Overall the Dallas rush defense didn’t do a very good job of stopping the New York running game. They allowed the Giants to pick up 126 yards on the ground. On the plus side though, they didn’t allow a rushing touchdown and stiffened up when the Giants got into the red zone. They also had a huge stop late in the second quarter. With the Giants facing a fourth and one at the Dallas 24, New York bypassed the field goal attempt and tried to get the first down by running Brandon Jacobs. Dallas got great penetration and stopped Jacobs for a three yard loss as he tried to get outside. It was a momentum changer as Dallas then drove down for a field goal as time ran out in the second quarter. Dallas took the lead 10-7 at the half.

DAL Pass Defense

Dallas was unable to get good pressure on Eli Manning. They gave up 270 yards, two touchdowns and did not record any sacks on Manning. They did tighten up the defense when the Giants got inside the Dallas five twice. Both times the Dallas defense was able to hold New York to field goals. In the fourth quarter, with Dallas up 13-10, Aaron Glenn had a shot at an interception in his own end zone but was unable to hang on to the ball. It gave the Giants the chance to kick a field goal and tie the game. After Dallas took the lead 20-13, the Dallas defense allowed Manning to drive right down the field for the tying score. The drive took just 2:27 on seven plays. The defense was bailed out by Romo and the Dallas offense.

QB Eli Manning, Pass: 24 - 36 - 270 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0

Manning had a very good game against Dallas. He threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Most important was the fact that he didn’t turn the ball over or get sacked. He scrambled well to avoid the Dallas defense and made some good throws while on the run. Manning led the Giants to touchdowns on their first and last drives. With the Giants down 20-13, New York got the ball with 3:28 left in the game. Manning drove them right down the field in just seven plays. Of those seven plays, Manning completed six passes for 59 yards. He hit Plaxico Burress in the left side of the end zone for a five yard touchdown. Manning thrown a strong pass and Burress went up and got it over Anthony Henry.

RB Tiki Barber, Rush: 23 - 90 - 0, Rec: 5 - 53 - 0 (8 targets)

Barber ran 23 times for 90 yards and also had five catches for 53 yards. He had a big 20 yard run in the second quarter on a direct snap. It got the ball into Dallas territory but the drive ended when the Giants went for it on fourth and one but failed. On the final New York drive in the fourth quarter, Barber took a short pass and broke a number of tackles to pick up 28 yards. He took it down to the Dallas 12 yard line. He caught a pass for seven yards on the next play. Manning then hit Burress for the tying touchdown. Barber had what has become a rare fumble. The Giants did recover but Barber went off the field holding his hand. He came back in the game a few plays later so he seems to be fine.

RB Brandon Jacobs, Rush: 5 - 29 - 0, Rec: 2 - 52 - 0 (2 targets)

Jacobs ran the ball well, gaining 29 yards on five carries. He also added two catches for 52 yards, one of which was a 43 yard catch and run on a screen pass. Jacobs picked up a couple of first downs on the ground but the one he didn’t pick up was the most important. On a fourth and one at the Dallas 24, Jacobs ran outside and was brought down by Ware for a three yard loss. Except for that play, Dallas had a tough time bringing down Jacobs. Oddly enough, on one drive Jacobs ran for four yards down to the Dallas four yard line. On second down he came out for Barber. The Giants then threw two incompletes and had to settle for a field goal. It seemed like pounding Jacobs would have been the way to go.

WR Plaxico Burress, Rec: 6 - 43 - 1 (9 targets)

Burress caught six passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Burress scored the Giants final touchdown on a five yard pass from Manning to tie the game 20-20. Oddly enough, Manning only threw to him once in the first half and his first catch didn’t come until early in the second half. Once again, Burress had a bone head play in this game. With the game tied 7-7 and the Giants driving, Burress took a personal foul penalty when he blatantly nailed Aaron Glenn after the play was over. It put the Giants in a second and 25 position. The drive stalled and the Giants had to punt.

WR Tim Carter, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (4 targets)

Carter caught two passes for 21 yards. Both of his catches went for first downs. The Giants had another personal foul after one of his catches but it was enforced after the play was over so Carter was still credited with the catch. Carter only got one look in the second half and it came early on in the third quarter.

WR Sinorice Moss, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets)

Moss was in just his second game of the year. He got one pass thrown to him. It was a receiver screen that Moss caught and picked up ten yards for the first down. It was part of a 17 play field goal drive for the Giants in the third quarter.

WR David Tyree, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (1 targets)

Tyree caught his only chance for 19 yards. It was on a third and 20 play so he ended up just a yard short of the first down. It looked like Tyree might not have been touched when he caught the pass while sliding to the ground. He made no attempt to roll over for the first down. The Giants went for it on fourth and one and were stopped.

TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 6 - 65 - 1 (9 targets)

Shockey had a good game versus Dallas. He is the spark for New York and they got him involved early in the game. He caught the first touchdown of the game on a 17 yard pass play. Manning avoided the rush, rolled out to the left and found Shockey in the left side of the end zone. Shockey picked up four first downs and touchdown on five of his six catches. Manning tried to hit Shockey for a touchdown on their 17 play drive in the third quarter. The pass was incomplete on a third and five at the Dallas five yard line.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets)

Shiancoe caught one pass for seven yards. It was on a second and 25 play after Burress took the dumb personal foul penalty. Shiancoe has just eight catches this season.

PK Jay Feely 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points

Feely had two short field goals when the Giants couldn’t punch it in from inside the Dallas five yard line either time. Feely also made both of his extra point attempts.

NYG Rush Defense

The New York rush defense completely shut down Julius Jones but did give up a couple of big runs to Marion Barber. They also allowed two rushing touchdowns to Barber although one of them was after a pass interference call in the end zone so Dallas got the ball on the one yard line. The rush defense held Dallas to only four first downs on the ground. One of them was on a third and one when Barber broke through for a 25 yard run.

NYG Pass Defense

The New York pass defense had a couple of interceptions although Kiwanuka fumbled the ball away on his interception return. Dallas took advantage by scoring a touchdown four plays later. Dallas gained 257 yards through the air and picked up 15 first downs via the pass. The New York pass defense recorded one sack of Romo and also caused a fumble on the play but Dallas recovered it. While they didn’t give up any touchdowns, they did allow a number of big plays. The biggest of course was right after the Giants had tied the game late and really needed a stop on defense. On the first play, Tony Romo hit Witten for 42 yards and put Dallas in field goal range.