Long Division

Needing a win to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys went into New York and knocked off the Giants, 24-21, in a back-and-forth battle.

Tony Romo completed 23 of 38 throws for 250 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He led a game-winning drive in the final minutes to secure the 6-5 Cowboys’ second road victory of the season.

On the other side of the ball, the Giants, behind a dominant running game from Andre Brown and Brandon Jacobs, won the total yardage and possession battles but struggled on third downs and in the red zone, falling to a 4-7 record overall. Both teams committed 11 penalties for over 80 yards in the sloppy contest.

The Cowboys struck first when—just three plays after a Romo interception—Orlando Scandrick stripped Victor Cruz and safety Jeff Heath took it back 50 yards for the score a little over 10 minutes into the game.

Tom Coughlin screamed for the whistle to be blown after it appeared Cruz’s forward progress was stopped, but his claims fell on deaf ears and the Cowboys had a 7-0 lead.

Following a Josh Brown field goal, which resulted when the Giants’ drive lost steam inside the 10-yard line, the ‘Boys drove right back down the field, going 80 yards on just five plays. DeMarco Murray broke off huge chunks of yardage and Romo ended the drive with a 20-yard strike to Jason Witten at the 9:37 mark of the second.

The Giants again saw a drive fizzle inside the Dallas 10, settling for a field goal to cut the lead to 17-6 before halftime.

Thanks to a couple of untimely penalties from New York, the Cowboys scored on their first drive out of the locker room. On 3rd-and-goal, Romo connected with Witten for the second time of the night, marking a significant milestone for each, Witen with his 50th TD reception and Tony Romo with his 200th TD pass.

Despite what appeared to be a deflating defensive drive, the Giants didn’t fold.

After Manning quickly moved the ball down the field on the next drive, it appeared it was going to end in another field goal. But Brandon Myers made a diving catch down the sideline, and when Jeff Heath and Bruce Carter forgot to touch him down, the tight end stood up and waltzed into the end zone for the 27-yard score.

Following several punts, the Giants put together an eight-play, 58-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, capped by a Louis Murphy four-yard grab. Down by two with just under five minutes remaining, Coughlin rolled the dice and Andre Brown jogged through a cavernous hole for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 21.

Romo and the Cowboys responded perfectly, driving down the field in methodical fashion before Dan Bailey kicked in the game-winning, 35-yard chip shot as time expired.