by With or without Odell Beckham Jr., the Cowboys’ offense is a force to be reckoned with. A week after scoring 40 points in Minnesota, Dallas had second-half touchdowns on three straight drives against the Giants on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys’ pursuit of points resulted in a 28-20 win that put them up 8-3. The Giants fell to 7-4 after losing their second straight game.
Trailing 13-7 at halftime, the Cowboys finally took the lead midway through the third quarter on Dak Prescott’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz. The result capped a 14-play 75-yard drive that saw the Cowboys get their way on both the run and the pass.
Prescott and Schultz reunited shortly thereafter in the end zone after the Cowboys’ defense stopped the Giants on the fourth and 1 at New York’s own 40-yard line. Daniel Jones, under pressure from Donovan Wilson, threw a poor pass to Saquon Barkley which Barkley was unable to parry from behind.
The Cowboys pulled off the coup de grace on their next drive when Peyton Hendershot hit from two yards on a jet sweep. CeeDee Lamb made three impressive catches on the drive, including a one-handed grab two plays before Hendershot’s hit.
The Giants briefly gave their fans a small glimmer of hope when Richie James caught a short touchdown pass eight seconds from time. But the Cowboys quickly dashed that hope when Lamb recovered the onside kick.
The Giants led Prescott by two interceptions at halftime. The second pick, courtesy of Julian Love, set up Graham Gano’s 47-yard field goal in the last game of the half. Barkley put the Giants ahead with a one-yard touchdown run less than six minutes into the second quarter.
Here’s a closer look at what’s going on down in Dallas.
Why the Cowboys won
As in their Week 3 win over the Giants, the Cowboys dominated on the floor. Elliott rumbled for 92 yards and a score on 16 carries. Pollard contributed 60 yards as the Cowboys as a team rushed for 169 yards and two points on 39 carries.
Prescott bounced back after a mediocre first half. He went 11 of 14 for 145 yards and two touchdowns and no picks. Prescott, who has now won 10 straight games against the Giants, had success getting the ball to Lamb, who threw down six passes for 106 yards. Prescott also had success getting the ball to Jake Ferguson and Schultz, who together caught seven passes for 88 yards.
Defensively, the cowboys’ possession of the ball dominates. They held the Giants to 3 of 11 in third place and 0 of 2 in fourth place. As usual, the Cowboys enjoyed an excellent game from Micah Parsons, who had two sacks and two tackles for the loss.
Why the Giants lost
It was a rough night for the Giants offense, especially in the second half. Barkley had just 39 yards on 11 carries. Slayton had just one catch for five yards in the second half. Jones threw just 105 yards in the second half, with a good chunk of those yards coming when the Giants were double figures behind.
Without much help from their offense, the Giants’ defense, which was without cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Fabian Moreau, withered in the second half. They couldn’t leave the field as the Cowboys went 7 of 11 in third place. New York also allowed touchdowns on any Dallas drive within the 20-yard line.
turning point
It looked like a shootout could be in the works after the Cowboys scored on their first drive of the second half. The Giants quickly grabbed a first down on a short run from Barkley on their subsequent drive. But a sack two games later from Parsons and a five-yard completion for Barkley set up a fourth and one on the Giants’ 45.
The Giants, having opted for a punt in a similar spot in the first half, opted for it. The play call looked good as Barkley was open at the apartment. But Wilson’s pressure seemed to affect Jones’ accuracy as the ball was behind an open Barkley who tried but was unable to collect the pass. The Cowboys extended their lead seven games later.
The Giants only had 10 men on the field in this crucial game.
game of the game
Lamb’s one-handed catch was impressive for a number of reasons. Not only was it an amazing catch, it came at a pivotal moment as the Cowboys attempted to take a double-digit lead. It was one of several eyebrow-raising grabs for Lamb, who rushed for 100 yards for the second time in three games.
Cheers are also in order for Ferguson’s Hercules hurdle in the Cowboys’ final race.
Quotable
“Our defense can win a lot of games so we have to lean on them. These guys played well tonight… allowed us to gain momentum. We just took over the game. we can do that Building on that second half and just kept growing.” – Prescott, to Fox’ Erin Andrews after the game when asked about his defense’s performance in the second half
What’s next
Dallas meets the Colts in the Cowboys’ second of three straight home games. The Colts, who will host the Steelers on Monday night, split their last two games after appointing Jeff Saturday as interim coach. Indianapolis played well on Saturday; They defeated the Raiders in Week 10 before being narrowly defeated by Philadelphia last Sunday.
The Giants will host Washington in their second of four straight games against NFC East Division opponents. After a 1-4 start, the Commanders are 6-5 after victories over the Texans and the previously undefeated Eagles. Washington is 4-1 this season with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. The Commanders’ quarterbacks are enjoying the continued excellence of fullback Terry McLaurin, who has nearly 300 yards more than Washington’s second-best receiver.
