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The Dallas Cowboys did exactly what they needed to do to defeat the New York Giants on a clear but chilly afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
In a matchup between two teams heading in opposite directions, it wasn’t evident where each team was heading by judging the quality of play. Both offenses were sluggish early as the breeze made it difficult to move the ball through the air.
Dallas entered the game leading the NFL in takeaways and had a +9 turnover ratio. Although they didn’t play as well as they did in the first meeting (a 44-20 Dallas win in Week 5) they didn’t need to as they turned several Giants’ miscues into points and led, 15-6, at halftime.
In the second half, head coach Joe Judge rolled the dice and went for it on a fourth-and-1 on his won 29 yard line. The call was a quarterback keeper and Mike Glennon got stopped dead, turning the ball over to Dallas on downs. The Cowboys scored five play later to take a 21-6 lead, which they would coddle until the end of the game.
Dallas picked off Glennon three times and Saquon Barkley lost a fumble. It was the third straight game Dallas has forced four turnovers, this longest streak since 1994.
The bottom line is the 10-4 Cowboys are headed to the NFC Playoffs while the 4-10 Giants once again could be selecting during the first hour of the NFL draft.
Notes
- Dallas has now won nine of the last 10 meetings over the Giants.
- This was the ninth time this season the Giants failed to score more than 20 points.
- The Giants rushed for 124 yards but the Cowboys rushed for 125. They are now 9-0 when they rush for over 100 yards and 1-4 when they don’t.
- Jake Fromm relieved Glennon on the Giants’ final possession and completed six of 12 passes for 82 yards.
- Sterling Shepard was carted off the field with 1:26 remaining after sustaining a non-contact injury to his lower left leg.
- Lorenzo Carter recorded two sacks, three QB hits, defensed a pass and forced a fumble.
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