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Week 14 Tweetcap: Cowboys keep themselves alive with 30-10 win over Giants

It wasn’t a perfect day but the Cowboys remain in the hunt.

By Michael Sisemore
NFL: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Dak Prescott opened up the week with a “we’re in playoff mode” quote knowing that his Cowboys can’t lose a game and expect to have any chance at the postseason. In fact, winning out isn’t a guarantee either but it’s the only hope they have. One team was playing for their playoff lives while the other was playing for pride. The Cowboys just had to weather whatever the Giants threw at them and simply outlast them.

The Cowboys had one of their better opening drives of the season but once again they couldn’t deliver when things got tight.

It just seems like the play-calling starts getting wacky in the red zone where it’s easy to see what they should be doing.

For the defense, they were fired up to have their fearless leader Sean Lee back but there were a few missed opportunities. They were eating the Giants’ rookie running back alive but couldn’t capitalize:

More wacky than the Cowboys’ play-calling in the red zone was the officiating as the Giants were rewarded a first down on a fumble that went backwards:

The first quarter was an absolute snooze fest but how good is Sean Lee? Seriously, the linebackers were on point in this one:

Each team had one possession in the first quarter and the Giants were still at work on their first possession into the second quarter.

It doesn’t happen often but the Cowboys’ finally got a holding call that forced the Giants to settle for three. It was excitement personified:

Quick side note: It was about time someone call out poor officiating this season, Demarcus Lawrence had enough and made it public in his post-game interview:

A quick AMEN and back to the Tweetcap...

On the Cowboys’next drive, their passing offense would take one step forward and two steps back which has been one of their major problems this season.

As another Cowboys’ drive was stalled, Dan Bailey was sent back out to give Dallas the lead:

That’s not Janoris Jenkins there...so what gives?

Both teams traded punts before the Giants finally started finding ways to move the ball on the Cowboys’ defense.

The Giants drove down the field easily despite the fact that they’re a M*A*S*H unit. New York took the 10-3 lead and it was about time the Cowboys respond with points of their own before the half.

After having a rough outing up until this point, Dez Bryant decided to make a difference:

Again...these dudes are good.

When the Giants rolled back out there, the Cowboys were ready. They knew that New York was in the game because they allowed it to be so:

It was a quick three-and-out for the Giants in the third quarter as the defense continued to clamp down with the help of their rookie cornerback:

Once again, miscues with the receivers kept this game closer than it ever had any business being. The Cowboys answered with a quick punt:

On the Cowboys next offensive possession, they had a nice long run by Alfred Morris get called back by a hold on Jason Witten. Dak had an amazing play where he was seemingly sacked by Olivier Vernon, only to shake him off and get the ball to Morris.

The Cowboys were forced to attempt another field goal but it was just a sad day at the office for number five:

Heading into the fourth quarter tied up at ten, neither team looked like they wanted to claim the victory.

Other than the one play to Dez Bryant, this entire offense’s usual suspects were completely absent:

Sean Lee decided to give the Cowboys’ offense one more chance to prove him wrong as he blew up the Giants’ next drive.

When the Cowboys’ offense got back on the field, they were done playing around with this 2-10 Giants team. Guys that were on milk cartons started to appear:

The Show Pony put Landon Collins on skates and seconds later the sure-fire Hall of Famer made his one and only catch count:

All of a sudden, it was as if the floodgates opened up and the Cowboys went into lights-out mode. The defense forced a quick exit for the Giants again and the offense converted another third and short in a huge way:

Unfortunately, Dan Bailey would add a missed extra point to the worst day of his professional career but it didn’t matter much. Chidobe Awuzie set up Sean Lee nicely as the Eli Manning we all know and love made his return:

You may have thought the game was over but Rod Smith decided he needed to clean his plate, dominating the opponent is a Smith tradition:

Any last ditch effort to make something happen by the Giants was quickly squashed by the “Eater of Worlds”, the G.O.A.T., often imitated but never duplicated: Mr. Jeff Heath!

What a strange type of game but that’s life in the NFL. We tend to overreact to every single misstep only to be shut up in the end. Sure, the Cowboys struggled in the beginning but in the end, they outlasted the Giants and put them away with 20 unanswered points in one quarter. In the past two weeks, they’ve gone from being dominated in the second halves of games to pouring on the points.

Though slim, the chances to go 10-6 and make the playoffs are one inch closer. The Jaguars helped by beating the Seahawks but they’ll need a few more granted wishes. At 7-6, the Cowboys travel to Oakland for their last game without Ezekiel Elliott and though they lost three in a row, this team is starting to show some grit. The hope is absolutely alive no matter how many prayers have to be answered.

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