- Flozell's Trip On Tuck
The Cowboys had just held the Giants on defense and got the ball back just before halftime, looking to build on a 14-13 lead. It appeared the Cowboys had gotten out of a hole with a 36-yard pass to Patrick Crayton that got the ball near midfield. But a tripping call on Flozell Adams, who basically leg-whipped Justin Tuck to the ground, negated the play. Instead of the ball at the 48, the Cowboys got it at the six. Three plays later, Romo threw a pass that got deflected and picked off. The Giants scored a touchdown three plays after that to grab a 20-14 lead.
- Flozell's Trip On Tuck
- Felix Rumbles For 56
The Giants led just 20-17 in the third quarter but the momentum was clearly in their favor. The Cowboys weren't moving the ball well and then all of a sudden, Felix Jones gave the team some life. He busted off a 56-yard run down to the Giants' 27. From there, the Cowboys kept it on the ground and eventually Romo scored on a quarterback draw, giving the Cowboys the lead, and momentum once again.
- Romo Deep Force To Hurd
The Cowboys had a chance to go for the throat late in the third quarter, having the lead and the ball with good field position. After one first down to the Giants' 46, Romo forced a deep ball to a well-covered Sam Hurd that was picked off by Giants safety Kenny Phillips. After the game, Romo said he never saw Phillips lurking in the deep part of the field. The Cowboys had a chance to possibly get up two scores and work the clock. Instead, the Giants finished the drive in the fourth quarter with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith.
- Third-Down Conversion To Witten
With just over six minutes to play and the Cowboys trailing by six, Romo extended a drive with a third-and-eight conversion to Jason Witten, hitting the tight end for 13 yards over the middle. The Cowboys had missed their previous three third-down tries, but made a key play at that point in the game. The Cowboys kept the chains moving from there, thanks in large part to a 35-yard run by Marion Barber and then a seven-yard touchdown by Felix Jones for the go-ahead score.
- Scandrick Knocks The Ball Away
While Orlando Scandrick didn't have his best game to say the least, it was play he did make that might've been a difference maker. On the Giants' last drive, Scandrick knocked the ball out of Mario Manningham's hands near the Cowboys' sideline although it appeared for a moment the Giants had come up with the reception. Had it been a catch, the Giants probably would've lost about 25 to 30 seconds of game clock. Instead of snapping the next play at about 55 seconds from the Giants' 40, second down came with 1:28 to go. As it turned out, it might have been the difference in a chip shot by Lawrence Tynes or a much longer field goal.
Clearly, there were dozens of other key plays in the game, especially in the first half. These may not have been the most important, but they played a big part in the final outcome.
