Giants Suffer Familiar Fate from Ongoing Problems in Week 12 Loss to Cowboys

For the first 30 minutes of their game against the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants finally looked like they had figured out what it took to win.

Energized by a spectacular one-handed, fingertip touchdown reception by rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. that went for 43 yards along the Giants sideline, New York would eventually go into the intermission with a 21-10 lead over the division rival Cowboys.

After halftime, the “real” 2014 Giants came out to play—the same group of players who with a mistake here and a mistake there, would battle valiantly only to end up shooting themselves in the foot once again in the end.

“We wanted this game,” head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters after the game. “We prepared well. We put everything into this game, just like we did the week before and the week before that. So it hurts to lose.”

There were two major occurrences that really hurt the Giants this week.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

On offense, quarterback Eli Manning, coming off last week’s five-interception performance, made yet another ill-fated throw, this one from the Cowboys' 18-yard line on a pass over the middle intended for receiver Preston Parker.

The ball, which was thrown high, grazed Parker’s hands and flew into the waiting arms of safety Barry Church at his 3-yard line.

Church returned the errant pass 45 yards to set up a 1st-and-10 for quarterback Tony Romo and friends. Dallas would take the lead 24-21 on a 31-yard touchdown to receiver Dez Bryant, who was aided by some missed tackles by the Giants defense.

“Just high, just threw it high,” Manning said of his interception, his 12th of the season. “He was a little flatter than I anticipated.

"No excuse though, you’ve got a guy running open, I’ve got to hit him right in the numbers.”

That interception, by the way, was Manning’s seventh in his last three games. According to the Giants’ weekly stats, New York has now turned the ball over 22 times, resulting in 50 points for their opponents (five touchdowns and five field goals).

On the defensive side of the ball, the Giants did well enough in the first half, holding the league’s rushing leader DeMarco Murray to 49 yards on 11 carries, sacking quarterback Tony Romo twice and holding the Cowboys to 10 points by halftime.

Like the offense, the bottom fell out for the defense in the second half. Suddenly the Giants began to miss tackles, blow coverage assignments and failed to get any pressure against Romo.

When the dust settled, Romo finished the game having completed 69.2 percent of his passes, his 10th game this season in which he finished with at least a 60 percent completion percentage.

The biggest blunder by the Giants defense against Romo and the Cowboys offense came on their final scoring drive.

With 1:11 left in the fourth quarter and a 2nd-and-2 from the Giants’ 13, Romo took the shotgun snap from center and had all day to throw as the Giants rushed only four against six Dallas blockers.

With the Giants pass rush outnumbered, Romo was able to buy enough time to find receiver Dez Bryant in the end zone for the game-winner, the receiver’s second touchdown catch of the game.  

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

“Tony’s the best at extending plays,” receiver Dez Bryant told reporters. “He’s the best at it and we have to stay alive because we know Tony has that special ability by extending plays and we had to show him the target.”

With the Giants now falling to 3-8 on the season, their six-game losing streak matches last year’s six-game affair in which they started the season.

“We played hard. We put ourselves in position to win the game. We didn’t win. It was the second time in two weeks that we've been in that spot,” Coughlin said.

“Different things occurred at the end of the game that caused us not to win, but we put ourselves in that position. So back to the drawing board we go.”

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The problem is that at this point, the Giants seem to be in an endless loop with no relief in sight. However, starting next week, they will begin a string of games against four opponents who, like New York, are on the wrong side of .500.

“Right now we’re trying to win a game,” Coughlin said. 

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football and The SportsXchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.