Giants rally for 37-34 win over Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Eli Manning had just thrown an interception that the Cowboys turned into a touchdown and a 12-point lead with 5:41 remaining in the game, and the season was slipping away from the Giants. As Manning stood on the sideline preparing to go back on the field, Kevin Gilbride approached him with some words of advice.

What did the offensive coordinator say? Did he go over play-calling? Schemes? Strategy?

"He just said, 'Hey, we need two scores, go do it,' " Manning said.

Sure thing. Manning orchestrated two touchdown drives and a two-point conversion that gave the Giants a three-point lead, and Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a last-second field-goal attempt by the Cowboys that would have sent the game into overtime, preserving a 37-34 win at Cowboys Stadium.

The victory was the Giants' first in more than a month, ending a four-game losing streak, and vaulted them into a first-place tie with the Cowboys in the NFC East with three games remaining. A loss would have virtually eliminated them from contention for both the division title and a wild-card berth, but the win buoys their playoff chances immensely. The season likely will come down to the final regular-season game, when the Cowboys travel to MetLife Stadium for a Jan. 1 rematch.

Trailing 34-22 with 5:41 left, the Giants drove 80 yards in 2:27 to close to 34-29 on Manning's 8-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard. After a three-and-out by a Giants defensive unit that had been picked apart for most of the last three games -- and survived an overthrow by Tony Romo (four TD passes, 321 yards) for an open Miles Austin on third-and-5 -- a poor punt by Mat McBriar went out of bounds at the Giants' 40.

They then drove 60 yards for a touchdown that accounted for the eighth lead change of the game. Brandon Jacobs, who had his best game in years with 101 yards on 19 carries and who has expressed his hatred of the Cowboys for years, scored on a 1-yard run to give the Giants a 35-34 lead. D.J. Ware added a two-point conversion for the second straight week for a 37-34 edge with 46 seconds left.

The drive was not easy, and the Cowboys certainly helped them when DeMarcus Ware was offside to negate a botched snap and Frank Walker was flagged for defensive holding on an incompletion. Mario Manningham also let a would-be touchdown pass go through his hands on the drive.

The Cowboys drove to the 29 and lined up for a potential tying field goal with six seconds left. Dan Bailey's first attempt at the tying points was good, but Tom Coughlin had called a timeout just before the snap. The second 47-yard attempt was blocked by Pierre-Paul. It was the kind of thrilling comeback that harkened back to the heady days of September and October, when Big Blue was churning out dramatic wins on a weekly basis.

"We've had some wild games over the years here, and none probably wilder than this one," said Manning, who completed 27 of 47 passes for 400 yards. "It's a fun way to win, but I'd like to have a lead and hold on to a lead for once."

It was the sixth win of the Giants' seven that was decided in the fourth quarter. Since Week 2, all of their games but the blowout loss to the Saints two weeks ago have gone down to the wire.

However it happened, it was a win the Giants desperately needed. Or, as Coughlin said, that they were "starving for."

During the week, safety Antrel Rolle had noted that the team just had to find a way to win. He said the Giants needed to be "like Tim Tebow" and "just find a way to win." This came pretty close.

"We had to get a win," former Cowboy and current Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty said. "No better place to get one than down here . . . I think some of those guys on the other sideline thought the ballgame was over."

Can you blame them?

The fourth quarter did not start well for the Giants. Ahmad Bradshaw was stuffed by Jay Ratliff on a third-and-2 run when center Kevin Boothe whiffed on a block, forcing them to punt. Devin Thomas was in position to down the punt inside the 5, but he stopped running when the ball bounced and he then rolled into the end zone trying to save it, giving the Cowboys the ball at the 20 and not the 2.

On a third-and-10 from the 20, Laurent Robinson beat Prince Amukamara for a 74-yard completion to the 6. A play later, Romo hit Austin to give the Cowboys a 27-22 lead with 12:43 remaining.

The Giants drove to the Cowboys' 21 looking for another lead, but a screen pass by Manning was tipped by Victor Butler and Sean Lee intercepted it and returned it 30 yards to the Giants' 49. Two plays later, Dez Bryant was wide open behind another example of broken Giants coverage and Romo hit him for a 50-yard touchdown and a 34-22 lead with 5:41 left.

Bradshaw was benched for the first half for violating team rules, an infraction that the NBC broadcast reported as a broken curfew. He finally took the field for the start of the second half but split time with Jacobs and Ware. The Cowboys also played most of the game without their leading rusher. Rookie DeMarco Murray left the game in the first quarter with a fractured and sprained right ankle and likely will be lost for the season.

Twice in the first half, the Giants had the ball inside the Cowboys' 10 and had to settle for a field goal. A 64-yard pass from Manning to Hakeem Nicks (seven catches, 154 yards) brought them to the 4 before they settled for a 23-yard field goal early in the first quarter. In the second quarter, after Pierre-Paul forced a fumble by Felix Jones (106 yards, 16 carries), they took over at the 14 with 1:18 left. A 6-yard run by Jacobs brought them to the 8, but again they settled for three, this time on a 26-yarder by Lawrence Tynes.

That second Giants field goal gave them a 15-14 lead with 1:03 remaining. Romo then completed three passes, including a 40-yarder to Robinson over broken coverage by Amukamara, and the Cowboys kicked a 49-yard field goal with 15 seconds left for a 17-15 halftime lead.

The Giants took a 5-0 lead when Pierre-Paul sacked Romo in the end zone on the Cowboys' second possession and followed that with Tynes' 23-yarder. John Phillips caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Romo for a 7-5 lead. Jacobs scored on a 1-yard run, but Robinson caught a 9-yard touchdown pass when rookie Tyler Sash missed a jam at the line of scrimmage.

The sixth lead change came with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter. Manningham, who had missed the previous two games with a knee injury, was uncovered on a go route. Manning lofted him the ball for a 47-yard touchdown pass and a 22-20 lead, capping an 83-yard drive that featured three third-down conversions.

Victor Cruz, who caught a 10-yard pass to convert one of those third downs on the drive, was flagged for a late block on Terence Newman as Manningham scored, giving the Cowboys the opportunity to start their ensuing drive at the 31. After a 74-yard completion to Robinson, Romo threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Austin to account for the seventh lead change and a 27-22 Dallas lead.