Cowboys, and their fans, take over MetLife Stadium
Cowboys fans cheer during the fourth quarter against the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Welcome to yet another moment that reminds you the Giants remain at rock bottom.
With decades-old rival Dallas in town and the Cowboys riding high in first place in the NFC East, it seemed as if Giants fans were outnumbered inside their own building. So much so that Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory asked the crowd to pump up the noise level even more as the Giants prepared for a last-gasp fourth-down attempt in the fourth quarter.
Those fans, many of them decked out in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott jerseys, obliged, and it was the Giants who wilted in the moment. Faced with a fourth-and-1 from their own 28, right tackle Matt Peart moved just before the snap and was called for a false start, and the Giants were forced to punt. They never got into the end zone for the second time in three weeks, and their 21-6 loss left them at 4-10 and the Cowboys at 10-4.
An ebullient Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walked through the press box more than an hour after the game, attended by a raucous entourage of friends and family, and expressed gratitude at how much support there was inside the place one of his fiercest rivals calls home.
"A lot of [the fans] were near where I was [in the luxury box], and I saw them when I was on the field pregame," Jones said.
He was glad to see them all, and their moral support — as well as their high-decibel appeals — were much appreciated.
"It’s really with respect that I say I was glad to see those Cowboys fans because of the respect I have for the Giants and just what they are to this league," Jones said. "I was very concerned about this game. As you know, any of us can get the other one on any given day, but I was proud of our team and proud to get to 10 wins."
It’s the fifth straight year that the Giants have had at least 10 defeats and the seventh time in the last eight years that they have sustained double-digit losses. Yes, this era of awfulness has gone on for nearly a decade, with no quick end in sight. The Giants aren’t likely to be favored in any of their three remaining games against the Eagles, Bears and Washington, so a 4-13 finish to this 2021 debacle seems likely.
While Jones prepares to celebrate another NFC East title, his counterpart, John Mara, who watched the game just a few yards away from Jones in the Giants’ owner’s suite,has some major decisions to make. He is almost sure to move on from general manager Dave Gettleman, whose ill-fated personnel decisions have left this team woefully overmatched. And while speculation persists that Mara prefers to retain Joe Judge and avoid firing a coach after two seasons for the third consecutive time, a 4-13 finish would be a hard sell to fans ever more frustrated by this team’s pathetic wheel-spinning in recent years.
Jones has had his share of adversity during his run as the Cowboys’ owner, especially early in his tenure. But Jimmy Johnson set the stage for Jones’ only three Super Bowl wins, and this year’s team certainly is in the Super Bowl conversation.
"I know how [Mara] feels," Jones said. "You just take this stuff, and should take it, completely personal, and I did. He puts it out there like that, and we do, too."
Mara has not spoken publicly since telling reporters in August that he felt good about this year’s team and that it would at least be pointing in the direction of a Super Bowl.
"We’re all on the hot seat, with our fans in particular," he said during the summer. "We’ve given them too many losing seasons. It’s time for us to start winning."
That time is not now. Even with an injury-depleted team — starting quarterback Daniel Jones has missed the last three games with a neck injury — the Giants simply aren’t competitive. Judge has maintained locker-room harmony despite the poor record, but he ultimately is responsible for the poor product, and he didn’t help himself with a highly questionable decision.
Down 15-6 and faced with a fourth-and-1 from his own 29, Judge had Mike Glennon attempt a quarterback sneak. He was stopped for no gain and Dallas made it 21-6 on the ensuing possession, with Prescott hitting tight end Dalton Schultz with a 1-yard touchdown pass.
Game over.
But not the season from hell.
Jones offered Mara some consolation afterward. "It’s no fun to wear a season like this," he said. "But as we all know, every dog has his day in this business."
Maybe so. But it sure is tough to see just when that might happen for Mara’s team.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
