Cowboys-Giants: Collapsing Pockets Lead to Dallas Collapse

The offensive line never gets enough credit when its members do their job, while they're in turn singled out whenever their efforts fail. It's not fair, but the reason is that it's much easier to spot a whiffed attempt to slow a charging blitzer than a perfectly executed block that allows a quarterback to complete a perfect strike. Watching a passer get battered by a defensive rusher who just sidestepped a guard or tackle distracts the eye from following the ball, and it also helped keep Dallas from reaching the conference final.

The pained look on Tony Romo's face as his passes hit the ground either because of genuine attempts not reaching their targets or him deliberately throwing away the ball had nothing to do with his social life and everything with the horde of defenders zeroing in on his position. While he held the ball for an exceptionally lengthy time when he took a sack on Dallas' second-last possession four plays before he was flagged for intentional grounding, Romo's questionable decisions weren't as bad as his suspect protection.

This was particularly true in the fourth quarter when Dallas was forced to emphasize the passing game after it lost its ability to sustain possessions. The two 90-plus-yard drives of the first half a faint memory, the Cowboys turned to relying on a single dimension, which in turn enabled New York to rush Romo without inhibition.

Part of the reason the blitzes were effective can be attributed to the fact that the Giants decided to cover Terrell Owens the same way the Patriots did in the Super Bowl when he was an Eagle, namely by leaving him in single coverage in the hope that he would be limited enough by his injury that they could focus their attention elsewhere. It ultimately worked out much better than it did for New England that game as he was held to 49 yards and a touchdown over four catches, none of which came in the second half; to be fair, he was the victim of an illegal use of hands penalty on Corey Webster in the fourth quarter which gave Dallas an automatic first down.

In truth, using this mode of defense may have been a choice by New York that had less to do with strategy and more with necessity, as the Giants had to align themselves with their depleted secondary in mind. But, whatever the reason, their focus on swarming the quarterback instead of dropping more players into coverage proved to be a successful gambit. The Giants only sacked Romo twice, but they hassled him on many of the plays where he wasn't brought to the turf while still holding the ball.

Dallas losing a lead it brought into the final quarter is a tough way to lose any time, especially in a playoff battle that featured the effort put forth by Marion Barber. He may not have started all season, but he's been the Cowboys' primary rusher despite his title. Besides, he gained 975 regular-season yards, while starter-in-name Julius Jones lagged behind at 588. Barber also gained 4.8 yards per carry to Jones' 3.6, meaning the alleged backup's official promotion should have surprised no one.

Barber's 129 yards over 27 attempts actually put him right about at his average; the problem was that the majority of that ground was gained in the first two quarters, as the Cowboys were unable to prolong second-half drives. It's too bad, as Barber's churning style and the way he seems to take delight in first initiating contact before driving a prospective tackler in reverse is a skill appreciated by fans, not merely of Dallas but also of the sport.

Overall, this was a rambunctiously nasty game between two teams whose intense dislike for each other, evident in their two regular-season encounters, was at the forefront of the third contest, this time further enhanced by the prospect of elimination. Unfortunately for Dallas, its ability to raise its game and adapt to its opponents' tactics, skills the Cowboys displayed throughout much of the regular season, were latent in January as the team could only muster three second-half points.

On the other hand, Eli Manning led his team to seven in the final period, all the Giants needed: The home team only had 56 yards in the fourth quarter, largely thanks to an offensive line that played as if encased in Jell-O. The fact Dallas found its offense reduced to one aspect was only made worse by that aspect's ineffectiveness late in the game, all of which led to Wade Phillips remaining winless as a head coach in the playoffs and the Cowboys wasting a fine regular season.