The New York Giants' defence guided them to a narrow win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night as the playoff picture starts to take shape in the NFL.
The Cowboys have been one of the most impressive teams in the NFL this year, with their only previous loss before this weekend coming against the Giants in week one. On Sunday, they proved unable to overcome the challenge put to them by New York again.
Neither side's offence was firing particularly well on the night, and it was a game that was dominated by defence and turnovers. Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie helped to keep one of Dallas' most dangerous weapons quiet for the whole game in the shape of Dez Bryant, his only contribution coming in the fourth quarter when he caught and then fumbled the ball.
Dez Bryant makes his first catch of the night...
But he fumbles it away. @Giants recover! #DALvsNYG https://t.co/jDmoVNDAUV
— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2016
A well-worked play from Dallas gave the Cowboys the lead, confusing the defence with a fake before Terrance Williams ended up wide open with the endzone at his mercy.
.@Dak fakes to Zeke...
And the Giants defense is fooled.@TerranceWill2 is wide open for the Cowboys TD! #DALvsNYG https://t.co/0pglJLEGVE— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2016
The Cowboys took their 7-0 advantage into the break, but the decisive score came courtesy of Odell Beckham Jr. and Eli Manning, as they linked up on a 61-yard play that gave the Giants the advantage, after they had opened their account with a field goal.
There goes @OBJ_3!
No one can catch him.61 yards and the @Giants have the lead! 😱 #DALvsNYG https://t.co/KaGoAEod2u
— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2016
The game was as close as the scoreboard suggested; both sides registered three turnovers each, they were only able to make one trip to the red zone between them, and they both registered 260 yards of total offence each on 15 drives. In fact, a field goal that fell just short for Dallas could have changed the complexion of the game entirely.
Juuuust short. #DALvsNYG pic.twitter.com/P8FbHIDcwP
— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2016
Somehow, without really impressing on either side of the ball, Ben McAdoo and his never-ending menu of plays has guided his team to a 9-4 record, second in the NFC east behind the Cowboys. Then again, we've seen before what an unfancied Giants team can do...
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
