The NY Giants keep their NFL Playoffs hopes alive, at least for a few more hours, after defeating the Cowboys 23-19.
The NY Giants end the regular season with a big 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys to remain in the playoff race, for now.
The Giants can win the NFC East if Philadelphia defeats Washington tonight. Whether they make the postseason or not, this team has made a lot of strides since last season. This is not the same team as last year who finished with just four wins. They are still missing a winning season, but this defense has looked better than it has in years and the offensive line is actually protecting the quarterback.
This game gave Jason Garrett a chance to send home his former team.
Garrett who came back after testing positive for COVID-19 got to face the team he led for nine seasons. It got real chippy early and continued that way. Both teams looked at this game like week one of the playoffs. It was a tale of two halves, with the Giants having their way the entire first half. Andy Dalton and the Dallas offense woke up in the second half and came within one point.
The Giants are a different offense when QB Daniel Jones is healthy and mobile. The past few weeks showed just how stalled the offense is when he is forced to play in the pocket. Earlier this week, Jones indicated that he would still be limited on Sunday, telling media,
"But I think you can tell from the tape that I’m not. I can’t do a lot of the same things I’m used to doing. I’ll continue to work and work to improve. But for the time being, I’ll probably have to adjust the way I play. I’ve been doing that the last few weeks."
Well, it might’ve been the strategy to play up the injury to throw Dallas off. Jones returned to running the ball and it helped spread New York’s offense.
When his team really needed someone to step up, Sterling Shepard was there. It was a big day for Shepard who finished with eight receptions for 112 yards, scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
The only knock on Shepard’s day was a horrible call by officials of a crackback penalty on Shepard. The fifteen-yard penalty killed a third-quarter drive for New York.
In the fourth quarter on a crucial drive, Shepard stepped up with two big catches to set up a field goal. The drive will remain in controversy after the officials ruled Dante Pettis caught the ball, but on replay, it looked like the Cowboys could have challenged the call and won. Instead, Mike McCarthy chose not to challenge it. If he did, it likely would have knocked the Giants out of field goal position.
Overall the Giants’ offense looked a lot better than in recent weeks. However, running back Wayne Gallman had a sloppy game that almost cost the team the game. In the first quarter, Gallman flat-out missed the handoff from Jones which resulted in a Dallas field goal.
Gallman wasn’t alone in having a tough game. Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram also struggled, having a pass go through his hands and into the hands of a Cowboys’ defender. This resulted in the Cowboys’ only touchdown of the day.
After struggling against mobile QBs Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson, the Giants defense got after Andy Dalton. Leonard Williams in particular had a standout game with three sacks on Dalton. Blake Martinez continues to look like the greatest signings of the entire offseason. He has been everything and more the Giants could have hoped for. He is a leader who continues to be involved in almost every play on the field. He also finished the day with a sack. The team finished with six sacks.
The team struggled early in the second half, allowing Dallas to make a comeback and almost take the lead. The Giants have continued to struggle with holding onto leads in the second half. In their wins, they have allowed teams to get back into games and forced the defense to make big plays at the end of games like they did today.
While it was great to finish the season with a big divisional win against the Cowboys, the Giants continued to have issues scoring. They will have Saquon Barkley back next season, but they are still missing a dynamic playmaker if they want to be an elite team. They definitely have to address it this offseason, likely in the draft.
They have tried to make Evan Engram that guy, but it just hasn’t worked out. It seems likely the team will elect to not re-sign the young tight end despite making his first Pro Bowl. A new change of scenery might also benefit Engram who has never been able to make that next step with New York.