Update: Manning rallies Giants past Cowboys, 37-34

[Vin+ 3,121]

TIME: 08:20 P.M. EST

VENUE: Cowboys Stadium

While the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys both lost last weekend, the damage by those defeats can easily be mitigated thanks to what's at stake this weekend.

 

The Giants will try to end a four-game losing streak Sunday night on the road against the Cowboys as these rivals play for the NFC East lead.

 

Dallas (7-5) leads New York (6-6) by one game. The Giants led the race by two before their slide.

 

The Cowboys had their four-game win streak snapped thanks to mistakes that included poor clock management in last Sunday's 19-13 overtime loss at Arizona - a defeat that cost them a chance to clinch the division this weekend.

 

"Most importantly, we have to put this one to bed and go to the next one," coach Jason Garrett said.

 

The Giants, meanwhile, seem buoyed despite last Sunday's 38-35 last-second loss to Green Bay. After giving the unbeaten Packers their toughest game, New York is looking forward to the chance to move back into first place.

 

"The mindset is looking ahead," quarterback Eli Manning said. "It doesn't matter what you've done last week or what your record is. It's what you're playing for, who you have this week. And you have Dallas, Sunday night football, that's a big one."

 

These teams' quarterbacks are having similar seasons. Manning has a 96.0 passer rating, 23 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and 3,705 passing yards. Tony Romo owns a 97.3 rating with 22 touchdowns to nine interceptions and 3,325 yards through the air.

 

"I think everyone knows this is an important game and you have to play the best football this time of year," Romo said. "We're going to go out there and give great effort and be ready for a great challenge in the Giants."

 

Each passing game could get a boost Sunday.

 

Receiver Mario Manningham, out the last two games with a sore knee, could return for New York. Manningham has three touchdown catches in his last four games against Dallas and would complement a group that includes Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.

 

Cruz is fourth in the league with 1,076 receiving yards after three straight 100-yard efforts.

 

Cowboys star receiver Miles Austin and blocking fullback Tony Fiammetta returned to practice Wednesday and both are expected to play. That should provide help to an offense that has produced three touchdowns over the last two games.

 

"We feel like we have a rejuvenated offense," receiver Laurent Robinson said.

 

The Giants had some changes on their offensive line last week with Kevin Boothe replacing David Baas (neck) at center and Mitch Petrus entering at left guard. Dave Diehl had already replaced the injured Will Beatty at left tackle.

 

Diehl is accustomed to that spot from years past, and could renew his battle with linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Ware, who leads the NFL with 15 sacks, sat out practice Wednesday with a stinger.

 

"That has always been a great matchup and there have been some other ones all across the board on both sides of the ball," Garrett said. "That is certainly one of the subplots of the game and we are excited to see how it plays out."

 

No NFC team has more sacks than the Cowboys' 35, and the Giants are close behind with 33.

 

New York's rushing defense is 23rd in the league, allowing 127.0 yards per game. The Giants will get their first look at Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray, who averaged 108.5 yards rushing during the win streak before being limited to 38 last Sunday.

 

"I think they are averaging 114 yards a game rushing," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "They are doing some good things with the run game."

 

The Giants remain last in the league in rushing with 83.8 yards per game. They reached 100 for the first time in four games last Sunday as Ahmad Bradshaw returned after missing four straight with a broken bone in his right foot.

 

New York's depleted secondary received good news on safety Kenny Phillips, who left the Green Bay game with a knee sprain but could play.

 

These teams split notable meetings last season.

 

Romo's season came to an early end with a broken collarbone due to a hit by Michael Boley in last year's 41-35 home loss to New York - part of a 1-7 start that led to the dismissal of coach Wade Phillips.

 

Garrett had a memorable debut as interim coach, guiding Dallas to a 33-20 victory at New York in the last meeting Nov, 14. 2010.

 

Their upcoming clash Jan. 1 in the regular-season finale has the chance to be even more dramatic.

 

New York has won both previous matchups at Cowboys Stadium, where Manning has six touchdown passes, three interceptions, a 68.5 completion percentage and 636 passing yards.

 

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.

Edited December 12, 2011 by BLUE

[Thanatos 2,847]

Eli > Romo. And that, to me, is what it comes down to here.

 

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[RazorStar 4,025]

DeMarcus Ware is hungry, and the Giants OLine is willing to feed the beast.

 

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[CARDINAL 205]

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[Guest Phailadelphia]

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Miles Austin and Tony Fiametta return this week. The offense is gonna put on a show.

Edited December 10, 2011 by Phailadelphia

[BwareDWare94 723]

Eli > Romo. And that, to me, is what it comes down to here.

 

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False. Last year everybody wanted his head over a bunch of picks. Now all of a sudden he's better? LOL. He's in the argument, but it certainly isn't fact.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I hate to tell folks this, but a 4 game losing streak is a 4 game losing streak. The Giants are not in stride. The Cowboys found a way to lose to Arizona, so neither team is doing much other than sputtering. This will be an incredibly sloppy game of penalties and turnovers. Whoever wins the turnover battle wins the game.

[Guest Phailadelphia]

Based on the last 5 weeks there's not much of an argument that Eli > Romo, for whatever that's worth. I guess you could compare the entire season but Romo has been playing with broken ribs for most of it.

[Thanatos 2,847]

I'm comparing the two QBs overall, for their careers. Eli is the better QB.

 

Also, Bware, it's not all of a sudden that he's the better QB. You assume that I was among "everyone" who wanted his head last year. I've always thought Eli is the better QB.

Edited December 10, 2011 by Thanatos19

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

Huge game here. Something tells me the Giants end their losing skid and go onto being tied for 1st place in the NFC East.

[BigBen07 285]

This one is gonna get REAL interesting fast. It's obvious that both teams want this game.

 

Despite losing 4 straight, the Giants have actually been in games until the end in three of them. Don't forget, they hung with Green Bay. Dallas, meanwhile, barely knocked off Miami and lost to Arizona in the last two weeks. I think the Giants losing streak ends here.

 

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[BLUE 1,026]

Per Rotoworld.com:

 

Eli Manning completed 27-of-47 passes for 400 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Week 14, leading the Giants to a 37-34 win over the Cowboys.

With the Giants down 12 with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Manning went to work, racking up 122 yards as he led the Giants on two-touchdown drives. The second proved to be game-winning. It was the kind of performance that's suddenly become typical of Manning, who has now led the Giants to five different fourth-quarter comebacks this season. The 400-yard effort was his second in three weeks, and third of the year. With three games left go to, Manning is on pace for a career high 5,052 yards. Dec 12 - 12:07 AM

[BigBen07 285]

 

That was a hell of a game!

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

Awesome game. Eli has been excellent this year.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Like I said, the game would come down to Eli being a better QB than Romo. He certainly showed that tonight in the clutch.

 

Romo had his opportunity and missed it. He puts that ball in Austin's hands and its game over. There were certainly other things, and the Boys defense being as porous as it was is certainly to blame, but Romo had the chance to ice the game.

Edited December 12, 2011 by Thanatos19

[BwareDWare94 723]

Like I said, the game would come down to Eli being a better QB than Romo. He certainly showed that tonight in the clutch.

 

Romo had his opportunity and missed it. He puts that ball in Austin's hands and its game over. There were certainly other things, and the Boys defense being as porous as it was is certainly to blame, but Romo had the chance to ice the game.

 

Uh...saying that Eli Manning is better than Tony Romo based on tonight's game is moronic. Romo put the game away at 34-22. There's no way our defense should have given it up. No way in hell. Blame our defense, not our QB. I can't believe somebody found a way to blame Romo for this loss...

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

The loss doesn't get pinned on him, but he could have put it away but didn't. That ONE play obviously didn't lose you the game... But it definitely could have won it for you.

[Guest Phailadelphia]

The loss doesn't get pinned on him, but he could have put it away but didn't. That ONE play obviously didn't lose you the game... But it definitely could have won it for you.

 

All of this.

 

He didn't lose it, but he didn't win it either. Romo, statistically, is having a top 5 QB season but reasons like this are why no one outside of Dallas will ever seriously consider him a legit top 5 QB or "elite."

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

Great fucking game. I tell you, I love watching MNF or SNF when it's an NFC East rivarly game. You guys always come down to the wire.

 

If it wasn't for the glitters of Rodgers and Brees, Eli Manning is MVP.

[BwareDWare94 723]

All of this.

 

He didn't lose it, but he didn't win it either. Romo, statistically, is having a top 5 QB season but reasons like this are why no one outside of Dallas will ever seriously consider him a legit top 5 QB or "elite."

 

He won it at 34-22. The defense lost it. Not Tony Romo.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Uh...saying that Eli Manning is better than Tony Romo based on tonight's game is moronic. Romo put the game away at 34-22. There's no way our defense should have given it up. No way in hell. Blame our defense, not our QB. I can't believe somebody found a way to blame Romo for this loss...

 

I'm not basing it on last night's game. I, as I have said at least two times previously in this thread and both times you have ignored it, have believed Eli is the better QB for quite a long time now. I'm not basing it solely on last night's game, merely putting last night's game forward as yet another point for Eli. Romo did not put the game away at 34-22, obviously, since the Boys lost. Putting a game away means putting it out of reach, and the way your defense was playing, a 12-point lead wasn't enough, as it indeed proved to be.

 

He won it at 34-22. The defense lost it. Not Tony Romo.

 

He obviously didn't win at 34-22.

 

I could use the same excuse for Carolina constantly losing games when we have 4th-quarter leads. (Obviously, yesterday Newton was squarely to blame, I'm not making a direct analogy.)

 

But the truth is, Dallas did NOT put the game away, nor did Romo win it at 34-22. 34 wasn't enough, apparently.

 

And I'm not saying the defense isn't to blame, nor am I saying that Romo didn't play well. He did, and they are. I'm not even saying that Romo isn't having a great season, nor that he isn't a good QB. Merely that Eli is better.

 

Romo didn't lose the game, but he did have the chance to win it and missed a wide-open Austin on a play that would have iced the game. Were there a multitude of other reasons, most of them not on Romo, why the Cowboys lost? Yes. But he had his chance to finish it, to truly put the game away and out of reach, despite the other mistakes, and despite the poor play of the defense, and he couldn't do it.

 

Tony Romo didn't lose the game. He didn't win it, either. An elite QB doesn't merely "not lose." He wins, oftentimes in spite of the poor play of those on the other side of the ball. Romo showed a lot of grit coming back and setting the Boys up for a game-tying FG after losing that 12-point lead, but they never had to be in that position in the first place. It's moronic to blame one play for a loss, regardless of what it is, and Romo played a statistically great game. But he had the chance to put the game away and didn't do it. And when Eli was given a chance to do so himself, he came through in the clutch.

 

If Eli falters on that last drive, if he misses an open receiver on a TD that would have won the game, then it would also be true that Eli didn't lose the game. But he wouldn't have won it, either.

Edited December 12, 2011 by Thanatos19

[SteVo+ 3,702]

He didn't lose it, but he didn't win it either. Romo, statistically, is having a top 5 QB season but reasons like this are why no one outside of Dallas will ever seriously consider him a legit top 5 QB or "elite."

 

And for good reason. Elite quarterbacks win games when they have the opportunity.

[BigBen07 285]

I certainly don't blame Romo for Dallas's loss. He played great and did what he could to help his team.

[rzb+ 367]

Terrance Newman lost this damn game, almost on his own. How Rex could allow him to have his own island after being burned one time after another is beyond me.. but I really hope we find someone to replace Ole Stonehands this draft.

 

Also, it helps when the D line gets a hold of the QB. Eli was able to be better simply because he was getting a ridiculous amount of time to throw. Nobody was able to sack him, much less hurry him. Romo didn't have near the same chance.. and that's what made the biggest difference.