Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: Sunday Night Football Analysis and Reaction

The New York Giants leaped into the postseason on Sunday Night after a resounding victory over their NFC East division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. On a drizzly night in the Meadowlands, with New York City shining in the back, the Giants had Metlife Stadium jumping up and down, waving around damp rally towels and doing their best (or worst) Victor Cruz impression. 

Giants fans certainly had reason to be excited. Despite the third quarter and early part of the fourth , where the Cowboys scored 14 unanswered points and brought the game to within seven, the Giants had control of the entire ballgame. Here's a look at the most game-changing performances from Sunday night. 

Victor Cruz, NYG WR: Six receptions, 178 yards, one touchdown

Cruz is the clear MVP of this game. All night he consistently turned little plays into big plays and brought the stadium to its feet. What should have been an ordinary slant route resulted in the game's first touchdown thanks to Cruz's quick feet. He later hauled in a long bomb from quarterback Eli Manning after Manning scrambled and spun away from pressure. With 1,536 receiving yards on the season, Cruz leads the NFL. 

Eli Manning, NYG, QB: 24-for-33, 346 yards, three touchdowns, 136.7 NFL passer rating

Giants fans really have to be happy at the play of their franchise quarterback, Manning. He's been amazing in the fourth quarter for most of the season, yet he showed on Sunday night that he can dominate the whole football game.

Manning looked composed throughout the entire game, didn't make any mistakes and found three different teammates for touchdowns. His momentum heading into the playoffs is great for the Giants. 

Tony Romo, DAL, QB: 29-for-37, 289 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 106.0 NFL passer rating

Romo is the quarterback and will thereby shoulder the brunt of the blame for his team's loss, yet all things considered, he played decently for his team. On a night where he faced a ton of pressure, Romo was able to complete all but eight of his passes.

There were some obvious miscues—an interception while the Cowboys were driving and then a lost fumble on a quarterback sneak—that hurt the team tremendously. All in all, however, Romo should not bear all of the criticism for the Cowboys' loss by himself. 

Miles Austin, DAL WR: Two receptions, 20 yards

On a night where Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Laurent Robinson all stepped up to make big plays happen for their team, Austin, the Cowboys' No. 1 receiver, fell short. He struggled to get open all night against a weak Giants secondary, and dropped consecutive passes in the fourth quarter. I was a huge Austin fan when he broke out in the league, yet it seems that his ego may have preceded him. His performance was sloppy and costly to his team. 

New York Giants Defensive Line: Six sacks

If anyone wants to argue that the pressure that Romo faced was not a difference maker in this game, then they really have too much time on their hands. Romo was scrambling the entire game and received virtually no time in the messy semi-circle of his offensive linemen that's usually called a pocket.

The Giants' defensive linemen—Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Jason Pierre-Paul and Chris Canty—mauled the Cowboys O-line the entire game. Between the four of them they sacked Romo five times. Linebacker Jacquian Williams added one more sack. Romo never had a chance on many plays, and I'm sure that being thrown into the turf time after time didn't help the mentality of the already shaken-up QB. 

All in all, we saw Sunday Night that the Giants can look like an amazing football team and that the Cowboys have some serious work to do in the offseason. 

Most importantly in Dallas, the Cowboys need to improve their offensive line. Sure, they have battled injuries this year on that front, yet if you cannot adequately protect your quarterback, you're never going to win. The Cowboys secondary, or their lack of it, also needs a major makeover. Terrence Newman should be on his way out. 

As for the Giants, they need to keep this momentum into next week and not get too comfortable. The Giants have been erratic this season and have not answered the call in very winnable games (they lost to the Washington Redskins twice and got smoked by the Seattle Seahawks).

The Atlanta Falcons are a very complete football team with an intense defense and wide receivers that will likely burn the Giants' weak defensive backs. The Giants have to be on their toes once again if they want to beat Atlanta and move on in the playoffs. 

As was proven by Sunday night, scoring early is key for Big Blue.