Dallas Stays Atop the NFC East By Handing G-Men Yet Another Loss

Dallas Cowboys 37

at

New York Giants 18

Dallas 37, N.Y. Giants 18 

The Giants were hoping to snap a five game losing streak to the Cowboys, as well as to snap their current four game losing streak overall this season. But they ultimately failed to do either.              

Yes, there were a lot of things that plagued the Giants and doomed them to yet another loss in this contest. Some people were even blaming the presence of a black cat, who somehow managed to get on the field and interrupted the game. He ran off eventually, but not before he became a favorite of fans and cameras alike.              

But really, the reason for the Cowboys win was not a secret. The Dallas offense produced 429 yards of offense, compared to just 271 yards for the Giants. They also capitalized on three turnovers, each coming as the result of fumbles by rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, who has so far produced a league high eight fumbles to this point in the season.              

Jones did not otherwise have a terrible day, statistically. He completed 26 of 41 passes for 210 yards, with one touchdown and one INT. He also was the leading runner for New York, picking up 54 yards on six carries. Saquon Barkley picked up 67 yards on six receptions, including what appeared to be a huge run late in the game, which seemed to help the Giants get back into a game that was coming close to being out of reach, and which he almost broke free for a touchdown.              

But a major problem for the Giant offense was an inability to convert on red zone opportunities, as they continually settled for field goals rather than touchdowns. Yet, New York was in control of the game as the final two minutes of the first half came, owning a 12-3 lead that was squandered when they allowed the Cowboys to get a touchdown, then get the ball back and kick a field goal just before the half to actually take a 13-12 lead into the locker rooms.              

The second half belonged to Dallas. After an exchange fo field goals between the two teams in the third quarter, the Cowboys offense really started to come alive in the final quarter, as they scored two touchdowns to put the game out of reach. A defensive touchdown after one of those fumbles by Jones provided the final score and margin of victory for Dallas.              

Dak Prescott enjoyed a solid day, completing 22 of 3 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. His favorite target was Amari Cooper, who caught four passes for 80 yards, including a rather amazing touchdown catch in the fourth, in which he was able to somehow stay in bounds and tap dance his way into the end zone for a dagger in the heart touchdown that helped ice it for Dallas. Ezekiel Elliott was also a force for Big D on the ground, picking up 139 yards on 23 carries.              

So yes, the G-Men lost, but at least they looked good doing it. By that, I mean that they were wearing their so-called color flush uniforms, which are throwbacks to the uniforms that they had in the 1980’s and through the 1990’s, which are my favorite Giants uniforms. Frankly, I believe that these should be their permanent away uniforms, at the very least. They just look sharp with those uniforms, even if their level of play was anything but sharp, particularly in the crucial fourth quarter.              

With the win, Dallas improves to 5-3 and stays atop the NFC East standing. They will host the Vikings next week. Meanwhile, the Giants drop to 2-7 with their fifth straight loss. The G-Men will stay at the Meadowlands, but will technically play a road game next week when they take on their crosstown rivals, the Jets, who share the same stadium.