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Five turnovers lead to fifth straight loss to Eagles 
PHILADELPHIA – All season long, the Giants have made a habit of finding ways to shoot themselves in the proverbial foot by turning the ball over.
It was only fitting that it would happen again in horrific fashion.
Trailing by a touchdown in the fourth quarter with 3:13 remaining and needing six yards on fourth down, quarterback Eli Manning had no open receivers to throw to, opting to use his feet to get the first down and ten additional yards before going to the ground head first.
“I have to slide,” Manning would say after the game.
Problem was he did not.
On the way to the ground, the ball came out. It was reminiscent of a similar fumble he had at old Giants Stadium against this same team last year. The Eagles would recover the fumble and hold on to beat the Giants for the fifth straight time since 2008, winning 27-17 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Said Head Coach Tom Coughlin after the defeat, “This disregard for the ball, which has been going on for probably a year and a half here, and no one seems to be able to do something about it, again, cost us the football game.”
When referencing last year, Coughlin speaks of to the 31 turnovers his team committed a season ago in which 26 of them came after their 5-0 start.
It was the most devastating loss for this team that now sees most of its early season goodwill slipping away as quickly as their playoff chances.
“We’ve got to stop the turnover,” Coughlin continued. “This is our team, these are the guys that are going to play.
The five turnovers were a season high, bringing the total to unfathomable 30 over 10 games. It is a problem the Giants have spoke of but are either unwilling or unable to correct it.
It has also been the difference in these games with the Eagles where over their last four meetings the Giants have turned it over 14 times. 
Brandon Jacobs summed up the feeling throughout the locker room when he said, “We cannot continue to beat ourselves.”
The disgust coming from the players represented a missed opportunity. In reality, it was a game that saw a heroic effort by the defense in the game they likely never should have been in at halftime.
Philadelphia had numerous chances in the game’s first 30 minutes to jump out to substantial lead, aided in part by the Giants and the Eagles own inability to convert.
The defense did a good job of containing Mike Vick and not allowing many of the explosive, game-breaking plays that the Eagles put on the Redskins to the tune of 59 points last Monday night. However, it became apparent that when Vick had time and the Giants were only utilizing a four-man rush that was when he was most effective.
Vick used his feet to score the first touchdown of the game on a four-yard scamper that saw linebacker Michael Boley lose outside contain by falling for the fake inside. Once he bit, there was open room to the end zone.
The Giants would then attempt to gift-wrap the game in the second quarter when Ahmad Bradshaw lost his fifth fumble of the year when rookie defensive end Brandon Graham ripped the ball away from as he was going to the ground.
Said a distraught Bradshaw after the game, “I just have to protect the ball.”
Vick and DeSean Jackson missed on a potential touchdown strike, having to settle for a field goal. On the next possession, Asante Samuel jumped in front a pass intended for Hakeem Nicks and picked it off, returning it to the Giants 13. However, Jason Avant dropped a touchdown pass all alone in the end zone.
Another big break came at the end of the half when Terrell Thomas blocked a field goal attempt by David Akers, keeping the score only 13-3 in a game they were thoroughly outplayed.
“We’re lucky that it was as close as it was even with how well we played despite the mistakes,” added Justin Tuck.
Akers’ third field of the game halfway through the third quarter extended the lead to 13 before the Giants began to mount a rally.
With their running game non-existent (61 yards) and the Eagles, limiting the Giants offense, they would help them out when a 31-yard pass interference call on safety Quentin Mikell put the ball on the 2, eventually leading to a touchdown pass to Travis Beckum to cut the margin to 16-10.
After allowing Vick time to throw in the first half, the Giants defense finally would get to him as Justin Tuck would get one of his three second half sacks on a third down, forcing a fumble that Barry Cofield would recover at the Eagles 27.
Two plays later, Manning found newly signed Derek Hagan in the end zone for a touchdown pass to give the Giants an inconceivable lead.
With 7:52 left, the Eagles started at their own 10 after a holding penalty and advanced the ball near midfield. On third-and-six, rookie Jason Pierre-Paul jumped offside moving the play up five yards preventing the possibility of forcing a punt.
After a stop on third down, Vick nearly fumbled the snap and Osi Umenyiora almost used his outstretched hands to deflect the pitchout with defense selling out on the run. Instead, LeSean McCoy found space to the outside and sprinted 50 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
“We had a guy who was supposed to be man-to-man on McCoy,” said Tuck of the play. “Once he got out on the edge, it was a foot race and he out ran us.”
Turnover number three came when Manning’s pass for Hagan was deflected an intercepted for the second time in the game by Samuel who would then fumble while running for extra yardage and the Giants recovered before Manning’s fourth down fumble ended any hope.
Averaging over 400 yards on offense during the year, the Eagles held the Giants to only 208, their lowest production to date as the loss of Steve Smith and the reshuffling of the offensive line appear to be taking its toll, taking the spotlight off of game effort by the defense until late in the fourth quarter.
“This is one of the tougher loses I have been around in a long time,” said Osi Umenyiora.
Having given up the division lead, the Giants now must regroup this Sunday at home against the first place Jacksonville Jaguars amidst questions that they annual “second half swoon” is not already taking effect.
“We’ve got to take care of our situation,” said Coughlin.
What if it already has?
Led by defense, Big Blue collapses
EAST RUTHERFORD – When you are in need for the proper perspective, who better to speak up than co-owner John Mara?
“If I had known it would’ve ended like this,” Mara said. “I would’ve kept the lights off.”
Mara was referring to the outage inside the new $1.6 billion New Meadowlands Stadium that certainly is no Motel 6, where they at least keep the light on for you.
Of course, he also could have been speaking of the Giants team as a whole, particularly the defense.
Perhaps they watched the film of the Cowboys last three games and assumed they only had to show up and cover the two-touchdown spread.
Instead, they were on a the wrong end of a 33-20 score that was not as close as the 13 point margin would indicate and now brings questions of the team mental fragility and sudden inability to handle praise and prosperity.
“Today, I don’t think we brought the energy that we had brought the last five games,” said Justin Tuck. “For whatever season, I don’t know.”
What else could explain such a woeful performance? Don’t tell me that the offense played well in this game because even early in the game you could see that the same crispness shown in the last several games clearly was missing.
However, this paled in comparison to what we saw on the other side of the ball.
After a good defensive stand on the Cowboys first drive, smack the Giants in the mouth when Dez Bryant beat Terrell Thomas on a 45-yard reception and then made a great, athletic play hauling in a 13-yard touchdown.
Dallas likely would have scored again needing one yard to go for a touchdown on third down when Jon Kitna tripped over feet on an exchange causing a three-yard loss forcing a field goal.
Maybe the Giants did not know it then, but it was clear that the Cowboys were here to play. This was not the gutless, 1-7 squad who quit on their former coach Wade Phillips. They played so bad Jerry Jones had to fire him six days ago. Suddenly, that team had a sense of belief in what they were doing.
The Giants, boasting statistically the best defense in the league, had zero answers.
“They came out to play,” said safety Kenny Phillips. We didn’t and we didn’t play well. They did what they had to do, but we didn’t take care of our business.”
When backup cornerback Bryan McCann stepped in front of a potential Eli Manning touchdown pass and returned it 101 yards for a touchdown, the sense of dread began to fill New Meadowlands Stadium.
Yet the score at halftime was 19-6. The Giants offense at least was moving the ball, but killing themselves with penalties and backing themselves and long third down situations. However, all the defense needed to do you figured was to stop the Cowboys on their opening possession of the third quarter and get the ball back to have a chance.
They could not.
The defense held them to zero yards on the first two plays as the stadium lights (about half of them) mysteriously went out. Needing to prevent Dallas from gaining ten yards on third down, Felix Jones got 71, taking a screen pass and using his great speed with help from his blockers to sprint all the way to the end zone to increase the Cowboys lead to 20 points.
“It was a great play,” said Antrel Rolle. “They got us at the right time.”
All season the Giants defense has been great at not giving up big plays all year. Only four times had an opponent gained 40 yards or more on a play. In this game, it happened four times.
There was a sense of confusion among the players. Were they complacent or perhaps taking the Cowboys lightly?
Maybe.
If so, they did a great job of talking themselves into believing it wouldn’t happen all week. Yet, it was happening anyway as everything Dallas was doing on the surface appeared to confuse the Giants.
“They played well,” said Osi Umenyiora. “They hit us with a lot of big plays.”
The pass rush could get to Kitna the way it did to Tony Romo in the first meeting.
Because of the Cowboys new scheme to protect its quarterback from suffering the same fate, tight ends Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett in to block and occasionally keeping a running back, thus negating pressure and allowing time to throw, something very few teams have done until Sunday.
With time, receivers were in one-on-one matchups with Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas. Arguably, the two played one of their worst games of the year.
None was more evident that a sequence late in the third quarter when trailing by 13 points, the defense needed to make another stand. The Cowboys faced a third-and-22 at their own 49 when Kitna lofted a pass down the left sideline that Roy Williams brought in for a 27-yard completion for a first down.
On the next play, Miles Austin spun Webster around three times before beating him inside on a post after Kenny Phillips crept close to the line, taking him out of the play. The result was a 24-yard touchdown that sealed any real chance the Giants had of making a comeback.
“They attacked our weakness, and they made plays,” said Thomas. “They went right after us, and they kind of caught us off guard.”
Kitna only completed 13 passes, but threw for 327 yards, the most by any quarterback against this defense this season. The 427 yards was the most allowed all year despite the Cowboys only having the ball for just over 22 minutes as the breakdowns and the big plays opened up an old wound watching last year’s defense torched over the final 11 games.
With the injuries to the offensive line and the wide receivers, the production from the offense is going to drop from the 36 point per game clip they were at over the last four games. It was now time that the defense carry them while they found their way back into the game.
They could not.
It was an ugly loss. Not the fact they blew a chance to cement their standing as one of the league’s elite, but because it bring about questions as to how good this team truly is. Did the Cowboys expose a flaw in the Giants that other teams surely will attempt to exploit, most notably the explosive Eagles attack next Sunday night.
“Maybe this is that wakeup call we can use,” Tuck would say. “I think we are poised to kind of rebound from this.”
After this loss, you wonder if this defense can flip the “on” switch and return to their dominant selves.
“We just have to bounce back,” said Rolle.
If they don’t, as we saw, it may be “lights out” on the season.
Giants fall flat in loss to Cowboys
EAST RUTHERFORD – The way the Giants were playing perhaps it was an omen that the lights went out.
Yes, the new $1.6 billion New Meadowlands Stadium experienced a power outage early in the third quarter. However, the Giants were playing as if they flicked their own off-switch long before that.
“We didn’t play well enough to win,” was how Head Coach Tom Coughlin put it.
Coming in pronounced as one of the elite teams in the league before the game, to the point where they were favored by two touchdowns, the Giants saw their five game winning streak and splendid play go into the dark as an inspired Cowboys team under new interim head coach Jason Garrett took advantage in their shocking 33-20 loss.
Coughlin continued, ‘We didn’t execute the way we’ve been executing. We gave up big plays.”
There were definitely many of those.
“Sometimes you play lights out, literally, and sometimes you just don’t have it,” was how Justin Tuck put it.
How ironic.
The game saw a team appearing to come out flat at the beginning under the impression that Dallas was the same team they saw on film the last three weeks give up 121 points, including 41 in their previous matchup three weeks ago. Unfortunately, the Giants did not see that team.
“There are definitely some things that we have to fix,” said Eli Manning. “Maybe a few things that we have gotten away with in the past that you kind of know eventually are going to bite you and today they definitely bit us.”
They saw a desperate Cowboys squad under Garrett playing aggressively and intelligently without turning the ball over. This was contrary to the Giants who from the outset, appeared to be in quick sand, digging themselves a hole created of their own volition that they could not get themselves out of. 
After an early field goal gave the Giants an early lead, Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant made two great plays, one on a 45-yard reception when he sprinted past Terrell Thomas, and another when he showed incredible body control hauling in a 13-yard touchdown pass that officials initially ruled incomplete. Kicker David Buehler would miss the extra point.
With the score now 9-3, the Giants appeared to be on the verge of taking the lead. The ball rested on the Cowboys 2 on third down when Dallas sent a blitz. Eli Manning spotted Hakeem Nicks in one-on-one coverage, but Nicks did not finish his slant to the inside as he slipped and when the ball got there, cornerback Bryan McCann intercepted the pass and raced 101 yards to the end zone for a touchdown taking what could have been a potential 10-9 lead into a 16-3 deficit.
“You can’t do that,” Coughlin stated about Nicks appearing to give up on the slant route. “You have to continue to run the route, run through the defenders, do whatever you have to do.”
Trailing 19-6 to begin the third quarter, the Giants defense looked to force a three-and-out from the Cowboys and force a punt. Instead, on a third-and-10, Jon Kitna found Felix Jones on a perfectly executed screen pass that was set up for him and he sprinted past the defense for a 70-yard touchdown, shocking the crowd at New Meadowlands Stadium.
“It was a great play, and they got us at the right time,” Said safety Antrel Rolle, whose bad angle on the play sprung Jones for the score.
Manning would lead them back into the game briefly when he found Mario Manningham for a five-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 26-13. Yet again, the defense would break down again as with the Cowboys moved 85 yards with ease, starting with a 46-yard catch-and-run by Bryant.
Another key play of the game would come in the drive with Dallas facing a third-and-22 from their own 49. Kitna found Roy Williams on a 27-yard completion that followed up by Miles Austin beating Corey Webster on a post pattern for a 24-yard score to put the lead back up to 20.
“We got out-executed and outplayed, said cornerback Terrell Thomas.“That’s not Giants football.”
The touchdown was the third of the game by Kitna, who on the afternoon only completed 13 passes (13-for-20), but threw for 327 yards, the most allowed by the Giants this season. The 427 total yards were also a season high.
Kitna benefited from time in the pocket to throw as the Cowboys used a “max-protect” scheme, using two tight ends and occasionally a running back to slow down a pass rush that ended Tony Romo’s season in the team’s first meeting. The result was only one sack and that came when he tripped over his center on a third down play with the ball at the Giants 1 in the second quarter.
“They attacked our weakness, and they made plays,” Thomas continued. “They went right after us, and they kind of caught us off guard.”
It took just 1:08 for the Giants to bring the game back to 33-20 when Kevin Boss hauled in a 35 yard touchdown pass. Dallas would give the Giants several opportunities in the game to get close, but the offense was unable to capitalize.
On a fourth-and-1 from the Cowboys 49 with 1:08 left, Head Coach Tom Coughlin elected to punt rather than go for it. The result was Matt Dodge punting the ball into the end zone.
Facing second-and-20, Manning had Nicks wide open in the middle of the field after he split the safeties, but dropped the pass.
“I tried to cut up field and tried to make a play,” Nicks said. “I should’ve looked it in.”
Two plays later needing one yard, the Dallas defense stoned Brandon Jacobs short of the first down forcing a turnover on downs.
Deon Grant would intercept a Kitna pass in the end zone, but the Giants would give it right back when a bad snap saw Manning chasing the ball and eventually fumbling it as Anthony Spencer recovered.
David Buehler would then miss a 34-yard field goal late in the fourth, but the Giants would see their dreams for a comeback end when at the Cowboys 17, Manning would have his pass intercepted by Alan Ball to seal the game.
“Every time we tried to close the gap they would answer and we would make mistakes,” said Boss. “You are not going to win ballgames like that.”
The third turnover of the game increases their season high total to 27. The loss, pending the outcome of the Eagles game tomorrow against the Redskins now make next Sunday’s game for a share of first place in the NFC East.
“We have only played two division games and we have a lot of football left,” said Manning.
All season the Giants had been able to overpower opponents past their own miscues.
Sunday was either a wakeup call or a preview of things to come.
In down NFC, Giants for now stand above
ARLINGTON – You are not going to believe this when I say it.
The Giants, yes the New York Football Giants are the best team in the NFC.
I know this sounds very hard to believe. Even I wonder aloud how much I truly believe this.
However, the results speak for themselves.
Right now, the results say the following after the Giants too-close-for-comfort 41-35 victory over the Cowboys here on Monday night:
The Giants are the NFC’s best team.
Of course, this may be saying much when you consider that the conference as a whole appears to be down last season.
Dallas, Minnesota and defending New Orleans, the “heads of the class” going into the years all find themselves struggling mightily. The Cowboys now sit at 1-5, Vikings at 2-4 and Saints at 4-3 after taking an unexpected thumping from the Browns at home.
Instead of these contenders, the top of the NFC lists Seattle (4-2), Tampa Bay and Atlanta (4-2) and injury racked Green Bay (4-3).
Surely, the Giants are as good if not better than these teams.
They definitely showed that on Monday despite occasional bouts of ineptitude and mental shutdown early and late in the game was their sheer domination, moving the ball at will on the Cowboys defense to the tune of 497 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively, despite spotting the Cowboys 10 early points due the turnovers on offense shut them down. You could see this coming early on and that was before the kill shot Michael Boley put on Tony Romo, sending him down and out in the second quarter and having Jon Kitna replace him, which was the equivalent of waving the white flag.
Dallas may feel the game would have turned out differently. They can think that all they want, but this is now the fifth quarterback the Giants have been able to eliminate from the game as their defense continues to be death on opposing signal callers and emerging as one of the league’s best.
Yes, there were the five turnovers. Yes, balls continue to bounce off receivers hands (though, not entirely their fault). Yes, they continue to have poor special teams coverage as a 69-yard booming directional punt by Matt Dodge turned into a 93-yard touchdown by Dez Bryant. Yes, they essentially took the last five minutes off, allowing the Cowboys make the score look a lot closer than what everyone’s viewing eyes saw.
In between all of that, there was a team that showed that whatever the NFC’s “elite” is, they should be in that discussion. Surely, no one is making reservations for a return trip back here on the first Sunday in February for Super Bowl XLV, but having lofting dreams cannot hurt.
Why not? Heading into their bye week with four straight wins, they can look at the remaining nine games of their schedule and begin to dream big at a slate that does not appear as daunting as it did when the year started.
If you are telling us the Giants can continue to have one the top defenses against the run and the pass, than success will continue as long as the offense can cut down on their season high 21 turnovers. The rotating defensive line, improved secondary play, overall health (despite the loss of Mathias Kiwanuka) and scheme of Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell has turned them into a feared unit once again.
On offense, Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks have turned into star players to go alongside Eli Manning. The offensive line that was maligned early in the season as being old and no longer productive has found the fountain of youth over the last month and resemble their past dominant selves.
When you watch them, they still appear to be a work in progress, trying to figure out their identity as a team.
They are winning while still learning.
It has been a testament to Head Coach Tom Coughlin, a man many in the (drive by) media believed had lost the locker room after their 29-10 loss to Tennessee at New Meadowlands Stadium when the Giants committed five personal foul penalties.
That afternoon feels like so long ago now.
Four wins in a row will do that for you. Yet, there is still much work to do.
In the NFC, continuing to pile up victories will lead to a return trip to the playoffs.
The clouds have turned into sun for them over the last month and now they hope for sunny days ahead.
Giants KO Romo, Cowboys to take NFC East lead
ARLINGTON – Beating the Cowboys, especially in Dallas always brings a smile to the face of the Giants.
On a wild night that saw them on the brink of disaster early and late, in between saw an incredibly dominating performance that saw them take out yet another quarterback and with it, taking their season along with it.
The Giants 41-35 shootout win may look close on the scoreboard, but make no mistake of the thorough, embarrassing beating they handed their archrivals at Cowboys stadium.
What was to be a going away win became self-inflicted nail biter as Dallas rallied in the final minutes to score two touchdowns and a two-point conversion, needing Clint Sintim to hold on to the onside kick to preserve the victory, their second straight in the Cowboys new home.
Continued problems with turnovers and special teams threatened to blow the game for the Giants before they could blink.
When they were able to catch their breath and settle in, it was never a contest. The Giants moved the ball at-will on offense and limited the Cowboys to nearly nothing on defense.
Eli Manning threw interceptions on two of his first four passes to begin the game. The first went off the hands of Steve Smith, who saw the high pass go through his hands and intercepted by Terrence Newman, returning it all the way to the Giants 5.
Two plays later, Tony Romo found an open Jason Witten for a four-yard touchdown.
The lead would grow to ten as Manning’s pass went through the hands of Hakeem Nicks and into the arms of Gerald Sensabaugh, returning it to the Giants 18 where they would settle for a field goal after Miles Austin dropped a would-be touchdown pass at the goal line.
For Manning, it was the eighth time an intercepted pass went off the hands of an intended receiver. In fairness, both of the passes were high and both players tried to make a great effort.
The Giants would finally get going on a 79-yard drive, culminating in one of Manning’s two touchdown strikes to Nicks, this one coming from seven yards.
The key play on the drive came when Coughlin challenged an officials ruling of an 11-yard reception by Nicks along the sideline. Replays showed he dragged both feet in bounds with possession.
Brandon Jacobs would then fumble on their next possession, the third turnover in the game’s first 16 minutes. However, one play later, the entire tenor of the game changed when linebacker Michael Boley came clean on a blitz, and with no Cowboy
s lineman picking him up, Boley drove Romo down to the turf and the Dallas quarterback did not get up.
Doctors diagnosed Romo with a fractured left collarbone, sacking him for the game and potentially the season.
Dallas would take a 20-7 lead on a 93-yard punt return by Dez Bryant, running back a 69-yard booming kick by Matt Dodge, outkicking his coverage and with several gunners out of position, Bryant made several moves and was off to daylight.
Manning’s second touchdown pass to Nicks closed the lead to 20-14. His third of the half came on a beautiful touch pass to Smith, hauling in his second score of the season to give the Giants the lead.
Just before the half, Deon Grant was able to strip Jason Witten of the ball before going the ground. Initially, Witten was ruled down, but replays overturned the call, giving the Giants a chance to tack on three more points and go into the half with a 24-20 lead.
The fact they were only leading by four points on the scoreboard paled in comparison to the offensive output of the two teams, with the Giants outgaining the Cowboys 272 to 75.
With Romo out, backup veteran, Jon Kitna came into the game and you could feel the air let out of the stadium and on the sideline. Dallas was already having problems moving the ball on offense, and now things would only get worse. Their offense could not run the ball (41 yards) and with their continuous offensive line issues, few passes were even close to successful.
Keeping their offensive barrage going, the Giants took advantage of good field position and poured it on. Manning threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game on receiver screen to Mario Manningham, who used a great block from guard Chris Snee and used his shifty feet to split two defenders to stroll into the end zone.
Jacobs would follow with an impressive run of his own for a score, taking a run off right tackle 30 yards while keeping his balance to extend the lead to 38-20.
It was a run of 31 straight points for the Giants after trailing 20-7 in the second quarter. The offense appeared unstoppable as they amassed a 300-yard passing game from Manning (306), and 100-yard rushing game from Ahmad Bradshaw (106) and two 100-yard receiving games from Nicks (108) and Smith (101).
The running game, maligned early in the season appears to have come back to life as they run at will on the Cowboys to the tune of 200 yards. It was their first 200-yard output since their 44-7 thrashing over Oakland last season.
Manning is now 19-4 in the month of October.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter when things got crazy. Dallas passed on a field goal attempt down 18 to go for from the Giants 6 with 8:19 left and did not convert.
Bradshaw would cough up the ball at the Cowboys 42, but then a sack and forced fumble by Barry Cofield gave the ball back to the Giants.
Manning would then make an ill-advised pass on third-and-five at the Cowboys 47, where rather than taking a sack, he threw off his back foot and Keith Brooking intercepted the pass, taking it to the Giants 15 where Kitna would find Bryant for the 15-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion made it 38-28.
After a failed onside kick eventually led to a field goal by Lawrence Tynes rather than going for it on fourth down, the Cowboys would drive down the field for another touchdown to trim the margin to six before Sintim finally held on to another onside kick to seal the victory.
The Giants are now 5-2 going into their bye week and the only question that remains now is whether they are the best team in the NFC.
After Monday night, that answer may be a resounding “Yes”.
With Dallas reeling, Giants given golden chance
EAST RUTHERFORD – Perhaps the Giants expected to be in this position.
Their record stands at 4-2 and most observers felt that they had the potential to be exactly that.
I predicted 5-1, and if it were not for some ill-timed turnovers and penalties in that loss at home to Tennessee, they would have the best record in the NFC.
What no one could expect was to see the Dallas Cowboys where they stand right now, at 1-4 and seeing their season quickly slipping away.
Enter Monday night.
All of a sudden, what would have been a normal edition of this hyped matchup now has significant ramifications for each side.
For the Giants, this game presents an enormously opportunity. With a three game winning streak and playing in front of a national audience, they have a chance to become a serious NFC contender in the minds of many by going to down to Cowboys Stadium and getting a win.
For the Cowboys, the math has become very simple. Lose this game, and not only will they fall to 1-5, but they will be 3 1/2 games behind the Giants in the NFC East. With tough divisional games to follow including several treacherous road games, their season will likely be over.
A win however gives the Cowboys life. They would pull to within 1 1/2 of the Giants, and with Jacksonville the following week at home. Dallas can crawl to within one game of the division with nine games to play.
Not a bad position to be in, now is it? 
Since 1990, 70 NFL teams have begun their season 1-5. Not one has ever made the playoffs.
This is what sits in front of both teams.
The Cowboys have found ways throughout their four losses to self-destruct. Statistically speaking, their record should be better than 1-4.
However, the game is not played on a stat sheet.
They rank in the top five in both offense and defense, but rank only 17th in points. The combination of penalties, poor decisions and turnovers has caused breakdowns on both sides of the ball leading the Cowboys to their own mutilation.
Dallas’ inability to sustain a running game has put the game in the hands of Tony Romo. No offense to Romo, but he is no Peyton Manning or Tom Brady where you can give him the ball over 41 times a game and not think he is not going to turn the ball over several times.
Poor pass protection due to a porous offensive line has Romo scramble for his life at times and under duress, sacks and interceptions have followed. Blame Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett for either not believing they can run the ball or putting too much faith in Romo to bail out the offense with the right arm when even he has his own limitations.
This then brings Head Coach Wade Phillips squarely into the fire. His team has come under fire for being undisciplined and suffering from a severe lack of intelligence with each game that falls squarely on his shoulders.
There is no doubting their talent. Arguably, they have the most in the league. Right now, they are severely underperforming and running out of time to turn around their season.
The Giants are the team that potentially ends their season before Halloween.
It is an opportunity they cannot allow to slip through their fingers. They never thought they would be in this situation where they were 1-2 after losing to Tennessee at home and questions were abound as to whether Head Coach Tom Coughlin had lost control of his team.
Those questions don’t exist now after three straight wins and a chance this week to stamp themselves as an improbable NFC contender.
To do it against the Cowboys in Dallas would make it that much sweeter.
Giants proficient in third straight win over Lions 
EAST RUTHERFORD – Perhaps winning ugly is going to be the theme of this Giants season.
Not every game is going to be a polished and dominating as their victory over Houston the previous week, but they will certainly take the win at the end of 60 minutes.
The Giants appeared to be in full control throughout, but yet needed their defense to make a final stand with under a minute left, forcing the Lions into a turnover to seal a 28-20 victory at New Meadowlands Stadium to nail their third consecutive victory and a share of the NFC East lead alongside Philadelphia.
“We came in looking to be 4-2 and we are,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin.
One look at the score would suggest the Lions were in the game the entire way.
However, this was only the case because the Giants were unable to put them away until late in the fourth quarter, sending many fans to the exits.
Brandon Jacobs’ second touchdown of the game made it a 28-17 game, but after a field goal by Jason Hanson and a three-and-out by the Giants offense, the Lions had the ball with a chance to tie the game, but an interception by Antrel Rolle sealed the win.
“Guys are coming together,” Rolle said. “We went out there and played a great game together, and that’s what it’s all about.”
The game started inauspiciously on the Giants opening possession when the continuing problems of Matt Dodge continued the plague the team when twice he was unable to handle an exchange on a punt, eventually fumbling the ball that the Lions would recover at the Giants 43.
“I need to catch the ball obviously,” said Dodge. I can’t give them that kind of field position.”
Seven plays later, the Lions would convert the turnover into points when quarterback Shaun Hill connected with Nate Burleson for a 14-yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 lead.
A 56-yard punt by Dodge pinned the Lions deep in their own territory, the Giants defense forced a three-and-out giving their offense the ball at the Lions 40 and five plays later, Jacobs scored from four yards out to tie the game.
In the second quarter, the Giants offense started at their own seven and marched 93 yards on 11 plays, culminating in a beautiful 33-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Mario Manningham on a deep post for his second score of the year to go in front 14-7, eventually taking a 14-10 lead into halftime.
“It’s a play that we have been working on successfully in practice all week, said Manningham of the play leading to his second touchdown of the season. “We knew we wanted to go to it when the time was right.”
Hill had to leave the game with an arm fracture on the final drive before the half.
Detroit would commit numerous penalties to kill themselves on the afternoon. One of their worst sequences came in the third quarter when a potential first down reception by Burleson came back due to an illegal formation penalty. On the next play, Osi Umenyiora sacked new quarterback Drew Stanton, forcing a fumble that Justin Tuck would recover at the Giants 43.
The Giants would take advantage of the turnover, as Manning would find Steve Smith for 14 yards and Kevin Boss for 25. They drove all the way down to the 1 before not being able to punch the ball in with Jacobs on both first and second down. On third down, Manning used play-action and found Travis Beckum for his first career NFL touchdown to give extend the lead to 21-10.
“We got off to a slow start,” said Manning. “We had a couple really good drives and when we got down there we scored touchdowns.”
Four touchdowns to be exact.
As they have done all season, the defense set out to stop the run and they did exactly that, limiting rookie Jahvid Best to only 16 yards on 12 carries as the Giants were able to move Rolle into the box as an eighth man on early downs. The lack of success turned them into a one-dimensional team, passing on 49 of their 70 plays.
“We were going against the number one scoring offense in the NFC,” said linebacker Jonathan Goff. “We got some timely turnovers, which got them off the field. And then we were able to give our offense a chance to put points on the board.
Looking to put the game away in the fourth quarter, an unfortunate break on a third-and-10 from the Giants 13, when Terrell Thomas mistimed his jump and with Rolle falling down, receiver Calvin Johnson was able to make a catch and went the distance for an 87-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 21-17.
The Lions would force the Giants into punts on each of their next two possessions and had the ball with 8:23 remaining with a chance to take the lead. On third-and-five from midfield, Stanton found Burleson for another first down at the 42, but the ball came loose as he went to the ground. Acutely, Deon Grant quickly snatched the fumble to give the ball back to the offense at their own 42.
“I knew it was out because their sideline was yelling,” said Grant. I felt him underneath me moving, and he was already tackled so I knew he didn’t need to move, so I knew the ball was out but I couldn’t find it. When I finally saw it, I had it.” 
It would take only three plays to stick the ball into the end zone as Ahmad Bradshaw ripped a 45-yard run down to the Lions 13. Jacobs would finish the rest, gaining seven and then getting his second touchdown of the game from six yards out.
Manning was not great, but efficient, going 20-of-30 for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns.
It was another good performance by the defense, limiting the Lions for most of the afternoon and made their only gaffe with the Johnson play and being in disadvantageous field position after the fumble on the punt by Dodge.
At 4-2, a trip to Dallas awaits the Giants, who by virtue of their loss to the Vikings, can go 3 1/2 games ahead in the division with a win.
“We’ve earned it,” said Coughlin. We’ve earned the 4-2. We battled our way back and let’s hope it keeps going.”
They would definitely love to shove dirt into the Cowboys grave.
