Eric Essagof ’12 and Brendan Rand ’11
Staff Writers

The Cowboys could not hammer the final nail into the coffin that is the Giants season. They blew it 24-17 in a game that Big Blue had no place in winning. Not that we are complaining or anything. It’s just that the Cowboys should have won this game for all intents and purposes.

Why shouldn’t the number one team in the division destroy a team who had lost the past five out of six games they played?

It seemed like a familiar situation for a Giants-Cowboys game: the Cowboys had the ball, went on a long drive where they completed short gains and held the ball for 10 minutes on the clock, and then scored a touchdown. The Giants then got the ball, and tied the game just 20 seconds later.

Overall, the Giants seemed grossly outplayed. There were fumbles, an interception, and some outright lazy passes lobbed into the air by the highest paid player in the NFL, Eli Manning.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ passing attack gobbled the Giants secondary like Thanksgiving leftovers, and the Dallas defense didn’t allow any Giant to have an especially good game.

In fact, without the Giants defense, all hopes for a postseason would be destroyed.

They made Marion Barber useless, only letting him accumulate 36 yards.

Meanwhile, the Giants’ biggest sparks came on two of their biggest plays of the year. First came Brandon Jacobs’ 74-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, and then Domenik Hixon’s 79-yard punt return for a touchdown to put the Cowboys away for good.

So to review: the Cowboys held onto the ball for dear life and played a fantastic game, while the Giants barely held the ball and were carried mainly by two incredible plays late in the game. And of course, the Giants still somehow won.

With the Philadelphia Eagles approaching as the next opponent for the G-Men, a win would push the Giants back into the playoff race.

And if they lose?

It’s back to the football cave until 2010.