Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul called it a "Blood Bath." Cornerback Terrell Thomas guaranteed a win. The Giants season was on the line, but when it came time to pay the man, it was the Cowboys offense that drove the ball the final 4:45 of the game to walk out of MetLife Stadium the winners.
It's never easy, nor perfect, for this Cowboys squad, but tonight the guys that needed to step up and make plays did just that. When this team executes on offense, it can be one of the best, as we saw on that final drive. When they drop passes, miss blocks, or overthrow open receivers, they are one of the worst.
Up until that final drive, I didn't feel like Tony Romo was at his best. You could blame the conditions with the cold and the wind, but that's not his style. He was just off, and he would tell you that. There were times when things in the pocket were secure, but he just didn't have it.
With Romo, when he is bad, he is bad, but when he is on, like that final possession, he can be great. Jason Garrett and Bill Callahan stayed aggressive in their approach, and the quarterback rewarded them with a season-saving drive. There was no way that this offense could give the ball back to the Giants and expect to win the game.
The man that Garrett has defended through thick and thin stood up and delivered shot after shot against this Giants defense. Romo's pass to Bryant on third-and-7 was perfectly thrown for 19 yards, and the pass to Bryant on third-and-5 for 8 yards and another first down was perfectly thrown again. But maybe his best throw was his final one to Cole Beasley working out of the slot.
With the ball on the Giants 28, it was no automatic kick for Dan Bailey, who during warm-ups missed from 45 yards going into the wind. Garrett could have elected to try and run to set up the field goal, but he trusted his quarterback to finish the job. To the Giants' credit, they had done a nice job of covering Beasley all night, but on this option route, he was able to shake free, secure the ball and stay in bounds, forcing the Giants to burn their final timeout and putting Bailey in perfect position to get the game-winning points. [embedded_ad]
In these types of games, the old saying is that big-time players make big-time plays. With so much on the line for this football team, those big-time players stepped up at the right moment. This team got a gut-check win on the road against a division opponent that was trying to fight their way back into the race.
In the end, the team that was talking the most is now having to eat the most crow. This game is played with your heart and not your mouth. Have a nice offseason Giants.
