5 Reasons You Simply Must Watch Cowboys vs. Giants Sunday Night Football

Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. (EST) isn't a Week 17 matchup between division rivals, it's a fight-to-the-death playoff game between two teams that hate each other.

The Giants' victory over Dallas in Week 14 should give them confidence heading into Sunday night, as well as getting Osi Umenyiora back on the field, who believes he'll be able to go.

Even if you're not a fan of either team, this is a game to watch.

Here are five reasons to watch Dallas vs. New York on Sunday night.

Winner Takes NFC East Crown, Trip to Playoffs

An entire season of football rides on one game for both teams, with the winner taking the NFC East title and clinching the fourth seed in the NFC divisional playoffs.

Both teams enter Sunday at 8-7, and New York will look to use the home crowd to its advantage, despite sporting a better road record this season.

The Giants are 3-4 at home this season, as opposed to 5-3 on the road, and Dallas posts a respectable 3-4 road record.

It's a Longtime Division Rival

Justin Tuck has already set the table, stating his hatred for the Cowboys.

Anytime teams within the same division play each other it's usually considered a rivalry, but the Giants and Cowboys is one of the NFL's best.

The rivalry dates back to 1960, with Dallas leading the series 56-41-2.

New York has won 15 of the last 24 meetings between the two teams, and it'll look to make it 16 this Sunday night.

Week 14 Was a Classic

The first game of the season between these two was one for the ages.

Down by 12 with less than six minutes left, Eli Manning engineered two game-winning drives to give New York the victory.

The game saw almost 1,000 yards of offense, including 400 passing yards from Manning, and four TD passes from Tony Romo.

The G-Men sacked Romo three times, while Dallas was unable to muster up a sack of Manning, which is something to look for this weekend.

Eli Manning

Eli Manning is having the best season of his career.

He's thrown 26 TDs, is on pace to throw for almost 4,900 yards and ranks in the top 10 in practically every statistical category for a quarterback.

However, he's been most impressive when it counts: in the fourth quarter.  

He boasts a 107.5 passer rating, has thrown for 1,602 yards, 14 TDs and only six interceptions in the fourth quarter, and his six fourth-quarter comebacks leads the NFL.

The Emergence of Victor Cruz

Victor Cruz has been just as captivating as Tim Tebow this season.

He broke out against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 and has since torched opposing defenses.

On the season, Cruz has 76 receptions, 1,358 yards, eight touchdowns and is averaging 90.5 yards per game.  Only Wes Welker and Calvin Johnson have gained more receiving yards than Cruz in 2011.

Cruz's 99-yard TD against the city-rival Jets was the longest play in Giants' history, and he also set the Giants' single-season record for receiving yards in a season.

If there's one reason to tune in on Sunday night, it's to watch this guy.