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Giants (6-6) vs Cowboys (7-5)
The Cardinals were able to pull out a 19-13 overtime
victory over the Cowboys last week. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett had called a timeout
just as his kicker landed what would have been a game winning field goal with
six seconds left. Dan Bailey's next try missed and the game went into overtime
where the Cardinals won the coin toss and the game on their first possession.
The Giants hung with undefeated Green Bay as long as they could, but
they couldn't break them, or their own losing streak which has now extended to
four games. They put up points but still came up short in the final minute when
Aaron Rodgers took his team down to field goal range for a 38-35 win, their lowest
winning margin of the season. Dallas
Cowboys.
Last season owner Jerry
Jones had dreams of his team being the first ever to play a Super Bowl game in
their own stadium. Expectations were high with head coach Wade Phillips having
a 34-17 record, which was the best winning percentage in team history, surpassing
Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, and Bill Parcells. Instead the Cowboys started with
a 1-7 record and Phillips did not last out the year. Jason Garrett was appointed
the interim coach and under him the Cowboys went 5-3 to finish out at 6-10. As
the head coach this year he has them at 7-5 and clinging to the top spot in the
NFC East. They could have had a more comfortable lead on the 6-6 Giants if Garret
had not called that timeout last week and the Cowboy fans are getting edgy. It
would be hard for them to stomach any coaching miscues if it leads to a loss this
week that would put the Giants into first place. Cowboys
offense.
Tony Romo leads the offense
and he has improved his game over the course of the season. Romo has thrown 22
touchdowns against 9 interceptions and 7 of those came in the earlier games where
the Cowboys had a 3-4 record. Since then they are 4-1 with that close loss last
week, so as Romo goes, so go the Cowboys. Romo was just 4 of 13 of his attempts
of 15 yards or more, but he really took advantage of the short passing game where
he was 24 of 29. Tight end Jason Witten, with 61 catches and 760 yards, will be
a challenge for the Giants to cover.
Wide receiver Miles Austin, who has missed
the last four games, is expected to play in this game and that will help. This
offense ranks 7th in the league in passing and they have an average running game.
Last week they netted 75 yards on the ground and rookie running back DeMarco Murray
gained just 38 yards on his 12 carries. This was surprising considering Murray
usually does better and has 872 yards on the year. Cowboys
defense.
They rank 9th in the league in
defending against the run. You have to beware of linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who
leads the NFL with his 15 sacks. Ware has sacked Eli Manning 9 times in his career,
more than any other quarterback he's gone after. Overall this defense is tied
for second in sacks in the league, having racked up 35. Considering the state
of the Giants rushing attack, which may be just starting to turn, Manning will
be their main target. They know he has a quick strike capability and has thrown
50 passes that have covered 20 yards or more. The second half of games has been
where they have struggled lately. Over the last three games, they've given up
276 yards in the first half and 739 in the second. Giants
offense.
Eli Manning has had big games
in Cowboys stadium before. He's 2-0 there and 3-1 in his last four games playing
in Dallas. Manning was effective last week against the Packers secondary. He completed
three of his four attempts of 31 or more yards
downfield and they had previously allowed only five all season. Manning is fourth
in the league in passing yards and this week he looks to have Hakeem Nicks, Ramses
Barden, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham all playing. This will be only the third
game this season Manning has had that many options available.
The offensive
line seemed to settle into their new positions last week and should be ready.
They allowed only one sack on Eli Manning and provided some running room. The
Giants are dead last in the league in rushing, averaging 83.8 yards per game.
They managed 100 for the first time in four games last week with the help of Ahmad
Bradshaw who returned after missing four straight games. The change of pace allowed
Brandon Jacobs to run for 7.4 yards a carry with his 8 rushes for 59 yards. Giants
defense.
The Giants gave up a lot of ground
to the Packers last week. Granted it was to an undefeated team with an offense
led by Aaron Rodgers, but they gave up over a hundred more passing yards than
they do in an average game. Not to mention that their average, 260 yards allowed,
is a pretty poor one and has then sitting at 29th in the league. They did much
better against the run, allowing just 3.2 yards per carry, but running is not
the Packers strong point. The front four brought pressure on Aaron Rodgers and
sacked him three times last week, but he still was able to complete 28 of his
46 passes for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns.
They also fared poorly the game
before against Drew Brees and the Saints. Over the last two games the defense
has given up 80 points - 11 touchdowns, one field goal and 1,026 total yards.
They need to be on their game against Tony Romo. It doesn't help that this week
the secondary will be without safety Kenny Phillips for the first time because
of a sprained MCL. That means that inexperienced Tyler Sash will join Antrel Rolle
and Deon Grant in that role. Overall.
The Giants have sustained four straight losses,
but guess what? A win against the Cowboys gets the Giants right back into first
place in the division. The stakes are high for both teams and neither wants to
be the ones walking off the field with their heads down, dejected that they let
this one get away. Eli Manning has been put to the test before in big games.
He
is 4-3 in the playoffs and was also named as the Super Bowl MVP. Tony Romo has
a 1-3 playoff record and has never taken his Cowboys team past the divisional
round. Right now both quarterbacks have a hot hand, so will it be Romo who steps
up and shows his past five games are his new standard, or will it be Manning conducting
business as usual no matter what mix of receivers are on the field? This will
be some game. NFC
East.
This Sunday, the Patriots (9-3)
travel to Washington to take on the Redskins (4-8) for a 1pm game. At the same
time, the Eagles (4-8) will be playing in Miami against the Dolphins (4-8). Later
at night at 8:20pm the Giants play at Dallas.
Check
out.
The
Team Giants Store, and
see some of the really unique items we put together.
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Posters. 
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Notes.
Giants Tom Coughlin has lost his last five
challenges. Giants Eli Manning is 8-6
all time against the Cowboys. Cowboys
have won just one playoff game since 1996.
Next Games
Dec 18 - Redskins at Giants.
Giants Tickets
- Buy
or Sell
Dec 24 - Giants at
Jets.
Giants Tickets - Buy
or Sell
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