Cowboys Whip Giants
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The New York Giants kept giving the Dallas Cowboys the ball on Sunday night in a season opener. It was only a matter of time before Dallas started doing something of substance with the gifts.
Tony Romo and the Cowboys took advantage of six turnovers to hold off the Giants 36-31 before 85,348 fans at AT&T Stadium. The win was the first for Dallas in five tries against New York in the Cowboys’ $1.2 billion home.
The six turnovers led to 24 Dallas points, 21 coming in the second half. Romo passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jason Witten. Romo left the game late in the first half after getting the wind knocked out of him but returned to start the third quarter.
“In this type of game, you have to protect the football and we did a pretty good job of that,” Romo said.
The six turnovers, three in each half, were the most by a Dallas opponent since 2003. The Cowboys had promised during the offseason that turnovers would be a focus under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.
“It’s infectious. It’s contagious,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “We challenged
them at halftime. We had three, let’s get three more.”
Giants quarterback Eli Manning did his best to overcome the turnovers, which included three interceptions. The two-time Super Bowl winner connected with Victor Cruz for three touchdowns as New York tried to rally down the stretch.
“You’re be never going to win a game turning the ball over five times and muffing a punt,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “Six times we gave the ball away to them. Six times. That’s my fault. I’m totally, totally disappointed and embarrassed by that kind of football. That’s sloppy, sloppy football.”
The Giants coughed the ball up twice in the third quarter, allowing Dallas to go up 27-10. David Wilson’s second fumble — and New York’s fourth turnover — was returned 27 yards by Barry Church for a touchdown.
A muffed punt by Trumaine McBride gave Dallas another golden opportunity at the New York 16. Two plays later, Romo found Witten in the end zone.
The Giants answered with an 80-yard march, punctuated by Manning’s second touchdown pass to Cruz. They hooked up again in the fourth quarter to get New York within 30-24 with nearly nine minutes left.
The Giants had the ball with less than three minutes left, but Manning’s third interception was returned 49 yards for a touchdown by Brandon Carr to seal Dallas’ win. The pass bounced off backup running back Da’Rel Scott.
“Just a bad break on that one,” Manning said of the last pick. “We have some young running backs and some young guys, and we have to get on the same page.”
The Cowboys took a 13-10 lead into the locker room but lost Romo in the final minute of a first half dominated by turnovers. Romo was hit in the midsection on his last pass of the half and had to be helped off the field.
The Giants turned the ball over on each of their first three drives — once deep in their territory, another deep in Dallas’ and once at midfield. The Cowboys weren’t able to do much with the three gifts.
The game couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for Dallas. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware picked off Manning’s screen pass on first play of the game.
The Cowboys were set up at the New York 15 but had to settle for Dan Bailey’s 30-yard field goal less than two minutes into the first quarter.
Manning redeemed himself on his next pass, hooking up with Hakeem Nicks on a 57-yard pass and run. Wilson, though, fumbled the ball away inside the Dallas 10.
The Cowboys were driving after Manning’s second interception — this one by Will Allen — before Romo was bit by the turnover bug. Facing third down at the New York 14, Romo’s throw to Terrance Williams was deflected by Prince Amukamara and hauled in by Ryan Mundy.
Mundy rumbled 91 yards before being chased down by DeMarco Murray at the 1. The touchdown-saving tackle proved to be big because New York couldn’t punch it in. Josh Brown’s short field goal tied the score 3-3 in the first quarter.
The Cowboys added 10 points on their first two drives that didn’t follow turnovers for a 13-3 lead. Romo’s 15-yard scoring pass to Witten with 2:55 left in the half was the game’s first touchdown.
The second came 65 seconds later when Manning hit a streaking Cruz in stride on a 70-yard touchdown.
