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 The Cowboys (2-4) lost four games in a row and fumbled away a chance
at a game-tying drive in the final minute when wide receiver Cole
Beasley fumbled a punt.
It was the first win for the Giants (4-3) in the NFC East rivalry in
the past six meetings. Dwayne Harris' 100-yard kickoff return for a
touchdown gave the Giants their winning margin.
Harris, who spent the first four years of his career with the
Cowboys, tied a Giants franchise record for the longest kickoff
return for a touchdown, set by Clarence Childs on Dec. 6, 1964.
"We've been overdue for a long time," Harris said. "We've always
been one block away, one man away, but tonight it was blocked
perfectly. Anybody could have run through the hole that was made."
Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel was picked off three times by the
Giants, twice by cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who had a
58-yard pick-6 in the third quarter to give the Giants a 17-13 lead.
Giants safety Brandon Meriweather also intercepted Cassel at the
1-yard line to snuff out a Cowboys scoring drive.
"He did a lot of good things in this game," Cowboys coach Jason
Garrett said of Cassel, who made his first start for the Cowboys in
place of Brandon Weeden. "I thought he handled himself well, was
composed, and had poise. Obviously the three big plays for him were
the interceptions."
The Cowboys jumped out to an immediate 3-0 lead on the first of
kicker Dan Bailey's two field goals.
Dallas running back Darren McFadden, who rushed for 152 yards on 29
carries, scored the first touchdown for the Cowboys.
The Giants' lethargic running game got a much-needed shot of
adrenaline thanks to the fresh legs of fourth-string running back
Orleans Darkwa, who rushed for 41 yards on four carries, including a
touchdown, with 11:10 left in the second quarter.
Darkwa, who finished with 48 yards on eight carries, and running
back Shane Vereen, whose 39-yard run in the third quarter helped set
up Josh Brown's 34-yard field goal, helped snap streak of six games
in which the Giants ground game failed to reach the 100-yard mark.
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"It's nothing new," Darkwa said of the spark he provided the running
game. "I got some experience last year and in preseason, so it
wasn't anything new. Just act like I've been there before was my
mentality, and make something good happen."
Cassel, who went 17 of 27 for 227 yards, delivered a beautiful
25-yard pass from to receiver Devin Street in the back of the
endzone for a touchdown to cap a 9-play, 80-yard drive, but it was
20-20 for only the length of the television break. Harris returned
the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the game-winner.
"We had a big third-down conversion and I saw Street get behind the
guy and tried to get him the ball," Cassel said of the game-tying,
fourth quarter touchdown. "I was able to put it up and he made a
tremendous catch. I think it was a good way to respond; I think it
shows the resiliency of the team."
The Giants are at New Orleans next week and Tampa Bay the following
week.
The Cowboys (2-4) are home for back-to-back home games against
Seattle and Philadelphia.
NOTES: Giants K Josh Brown's two field goals gave him 19 straight,
breaking his previous franchise record of 17. ... The loss marked
the end of the Cowboys five-game winning streak against the Giants
and their four-game streak against the Giants in games played at
MetLife Stadium. ... The Giants completed the season series against
Dallas without turning the ball over for the first time in head
coach Tom Coughlin's tenure. QB Eli Manning tossed just one
interception in his last five regular-season starts vs. the Cowboys,
that one pick coming on a 31-28 loss on Nov. 23, 2014.
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