There have been times this season where the Giants showed tremendous heart, even in defeat. Sunday was no exception. With little to play for except pride the Giants gave the Dallas Cowboys everything they could handle as Dallas needed a miracle touchdown catch and a two point conversion just to beat the Giants 36-35.
The back-n-forth affair certainly didn't look the part early on with Dallas building a 14-0 lead on a pair of Dak Prescott touchdown passes to Blake Jarwin, yet the Giants caught fire thanks in major part to quarterback Eli Manning and running back Saquon Barkley.
Manning's 17-yard screen pass to Barkley on first and ten from the Giants' own 38-yard line seemed to get momentum moving in the right direction. A few plays later Manning found Sterling Shephered from 17-yards out for another key first down at the Dallas 21. Two plays later, seldom used Cody Latimer made his presence felt with a 21-yard touchdown reception to pull the Giants to within seven at 14-7 going into the break.Still, the Cowboys wouldn't relent. Dallas didn't need the game; they had their ticket to the postseason already stamped, but they wanted to head into postseason on a head of momentum.
So Dak Prescott remained in the contest and drove his Cowboys 76-yards on eight plays, punctuating the drive on a 39-yard touchdown pass to Blake Jarwin to extend the Boys lead to 21-10.
Nobody would blame the Giants for giving up at this point, but they didn't. In fact, the zaniness of this one was only just getting started.
The Giants quickly answered. A 68-yard scamper by Barkley on 2nd and 20 from the Giants own 17, gave New York the jolt it needed. Two plays later Evan Engram took a Manning pass and dove into the end zone for the score to cut the Cowboys lead to 21-16. The Giants converted on a two-point conversion when Manning and Engram hooked up again to make it 21-18.
After a Dallas three-and-out, the Giants stormed out in front. Manning's 51-yard completion to Engram set up shop at the Boys' 14-yard line. The Giants then used Wayne Gallman as a battering ram on the next three plays, as Big Blue plowed into the end zone for the go-ahead score to take a 25-21 lead.
Prescott and the Cowboys accepted the challenge from their arch rivals, quickly driving down field to retake the lead on a Rod Smith 1-yard plunge. Suddenly it was Dallas 28, Giants 25 in a game that was starting to feel like the great Giants-Cowboys match-ups of yesteryear when these two teams would battle atop the NFC East.
With 9:05 to go, Manning again had the Giants moving on Dallas's stout defense. He hit Latimore for 11 yards, and Sterling Shepherd for 19 more to spot the ball at the Dallas 43. On third down, Manning connected with Latimore on an acrobatic catch that gained 31-yards to the Dallas seven, a play that was eerily similar to the kind of plays Giants fans are used to seeing Odell Beckham make.
A few plays later, Saquon Barkley went full Superman, flying into the end zone for the go-ahead score to make it 32-28.
Then, with 3:21 to go it appeared that Big Blue would find a way to steal one from Dallas when Amari Cooper put the ball on the ground, handing the football back to the Giants at the Cowboys' 25-yard line. New York settled for a field goal to make it a seven point game. With 2:29 the Cowboys needed a miracle to win this one.
And they got it.
Facing fourth and 15 at the Giants 32, Prescott rolled to his left and found cole Beasley streaking across the back of the end zone. Prescott lofted the ball into the end zone, and somehow Beasley caught the ball, and kept one knee in bounds for the touchdown. Instead of settling for the tie, the Cowboys converted on a two-point conversion when Prescott found Gallop to make it 36-35, sending the Dallas sideline into a tizzy.
The Giants had one last chance to win the game, but four Manning incompletions later iced it for Dallas. The Cowboys head to the playoffs at 10-6. The Giants limp home at 5-11. With one year remaining on his contract, the questions about Manning's future now turn center stage for the Giants as the off-season begins.
2019 Opponents Announced: The Giants now know who they will face in 2019. In addition to facing their division opponents in Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington, the Giants will see the NFC North, AFC East, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals in 2019.
Home: Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Green Bay, Minnesota, Arizona, Buffalo, Miami
Road: Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa Bay, New England, NY Jets
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