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Giants (8-7) vs Cowboys (8-7)
Last
week Tony Romo was injured on the Cowboys first series and it was known that the
Giants had just won their game. Winning against the Eagles would not make a difference
to the Cowboys except for a possible wild card shot. Romo did not return to the
game and the Eagles won it 20-7.
The Giants showed the Jets that talk was
cheap when they won the matchup with a 29-14 score. The
defense forced three turnovers and recorded five sacks on quarterback Mark Sanchez
who passed 59 times, the most in his pro career trying to make it work, but now
the Giants are the "talk of the town." Dallas
Cowboys.
Let's review what's happened with
the Cowboys since the Giants last played them two games ago. They won their game
at Tampa Bay 31-15 and lost at home to the Eagles 7-20. Last season the Cowboys
were 1-7 when Jason Garrett took over for the last eight games and guided the
team to five wins. Those wins included beating all three division teams and the
three losses came by a total of just 7 points. Surely club owner Jerry Jones would
have high expectations for 2011 based on those results. Now here we are at the
very end of the season and the Cowboys will finish with a loss at 8-8, or with
a win at 9-6, and a division title. So where does Garrett stand in all this? Well,
the Cowboys won't be playing for his job. Jones has said. "His job has no
bearing and is not a part of this ballgame. Yes, he's going to be our coach next
year, period. No matter what the score is."
Cowboys
offense.
If the game comes down to
the final minutes, Jerry Jones should be very happy. He feels there's no better
option than Tony Romo in the clutch. He'd take his quarterback over Eli Manning,
Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. It would probably take Romo having a
big game that propels his team into the playoffs and far beyond for others to
even remotely think like the club owner.
Sounding more and more like Jets
coach Rex Ryan as the season draws to an end, Jones also declared on Friday, "He's
going to be playing at full strength. He has a very good team around him, so the
stage is set to play well in a big game." Romo sustained a right hand injury last
week against the Eagles and did not return to the game. He practiced part of this
week with his hand taped up and his overall physical condition will certainly
affect how effective this offense can be. If Romo's bruised hand doesn't bother
him and if his line can provide protection, the Giants will be in for another
long tough game.
They are aided in the fact that starting left guard Montrae
Holland was placed on injured reserve. Still, in seven of Romo's last eight starts
he's thrown no interceptions and has three good wide receiver targets and a top
tight end. The Giants defense is ranked low and although they seemed to figure
things out last week, we'll add one thing that slipped Jerry Jones mind. He'd
probably take Tony Romo over Mark Sanchez as well. Cowboys
defense.
DeMarcus Ware comes to mind right
away when you talk about the Cowboys defensive unit. With 18 sacks he's made the
NFC Pro Bowl roster for the sixth straight season, but Ware can't do it all by
himself and he will be playing with a neck stinger. Last time out Eli Manning
threw the ball 47 times with only two hits and no sacks, but now he will be missing
Jake Ballard for this matchup. Linebacker Anthony Spencer has 6 sacks, but none
in the last three games. If this unit can't pressure Manning, they can forget
it. We pointed out what Jerry Jones said earlier, and all that 'Rex Ryan talk
stuff', based on reality or not, must be catching. Defense coordinator Rob Ryan
(yes, his brother) said "We're going to be great this week. We're not going to
make excuses, because we're not going to have to." Giants
offense.
Last week Eli Manning managed
just 9 completions. Some of that had to do with the level of play he was up against,
but he was also missing his number 3 receiver, tight end Jake Ballard. Ballard
had four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown against Dallas last time they played.
Unfortunately Ballard is still unavailable for this game. Mario Manningham was
out due to a knee injury, but has practiced and thinks he can make it back.
Victor Cruz pulled in three of Manning's passes and for big yardage thanks in
part to that 99 yard touchdown run, but 6 other passes were spread equally to
the three running backs and three receivers. There were easily three others that
should have been caught. Hakeem Nicks and Cruz have had their share of drops this
year. The Giants are last in the league in yards rushing per game, but they've
been improving. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs have been running well of late.
They combined for 115 yards last week and can be physical with this matchup. Giants
defense.
They looked better last week,
but that was against the Jets. It sure helps that Jason Pierre-Paul is out there.
He was once again named as the NFC defensive player of the week. One other week
we're sure you'll remember is the one he had against the Cowboys. Aside from blocking
the field goal that would have sent the game into OT, he had two sacks, a forced
fumble and a safety. Justin Tuck has been battling injuries all year and he played
much stronger last week. He looks to be joined by Osi Umenyiora, who is odds on
likely to play.
Tony Romo beat up on the Giants three weeks ago with 4 touchdowns,
no interceptions and earned a 141.3 passer rating. Safety Kenny Phillips did not
play but has returned and he has had an interception each of the last two games.
The pass rush will be real important to make sure Romo can't exploit the secondary
but don't forget that last time Felix Jones rushed for 106 yards on just 16 carries.
It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys decide to open up against the Giants
defense. Will they try the running game against maybe an overanxious pass rush,
or block like hell and try for a quick deep scoring strikes before they tire out
against this unit. Overall.
In Week 14, in Dallas, the Giants beat the Cowboys 37-34 in a game that went down
to the final seconds. If the Cowboys had won, there would not be the thrill and
excitement that has grown all week long. Both quarterbacks are capable of suddenly
being in tune, making connections with their receivers for long yardage. Both
secondaries can suddenly turn porous, allowing long drives to befuddle them or
short quick strikes to occur. Both teams have endured a long hard year, but both
can't advance to the playoffs. Whichever team wins, deserves to be there. NFC
East.
In the final regular season
games, the Redskins (5-10) play in Philadelphia against the "Dream Team"
Eagles (7-8) at 1PM on Sunday. The the winner of the Giants - Cowboys game will
earn the No. 4 seed and a home matchup with Detroit or Atlanta next weekend. The
Giants and Eagles are favored to win their games.
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Notes.
Giants
Eli Manning was named to the Pro Bowl, throwing for a team-record 4,587 yards
with 26 TDs and 16 interceptions. Giants,
for first time in their 87-year history, have a season finale in which the winner
advances to the playoffs and the loser goes home. Cowboys
won 16-13 in overtime in New York on Jan. 2, 1994, the last time these teams met
on the final day of the season with the division title on the line with both teams
having already clinched playoff spots. The Cowboys earned the NFC's top seed and
went on to win their second straight Super Bowl. Cowboys
DeMarcus Ware is tied for second in the NFL with 18 sacks. Cowboys
Tony Romo has a career-best 102.2 passer rating, the fourth-best mark in the league.
Next Game
Jan 7 or 8 - Giants with a
win over Dallas would play at home against either Detroit or Atlanta.
Giants
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