Romo Leads Cowboys Past Giants
ARLINGTON, Texas — Despite needing a touchdown to win and being without timeouts, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had a certain sense of calm borne out of experience.
“You have to feel comfortable in that situation,” Romo said.
That poise helped Romo find tight end Jason Witten on an 11-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left, giving the Cowboys an unlikely 27-26 win over the New York Giants on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
The desperation drive covered 72 yards in just 1 minute, 27 seconds, completing Dallas’ rally from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit. Romo hit Witten in the middle of the field after fumbling the shotgun snap.
Romo was asked how quickly his eyes found Witten.
“Pretty quickly,” Romo said after his 24th comeback victory. “I think Jason is obviously a special player. He’s obviously close to me, and it’s a great feeling to be able to see him score that winning touchdown. He’s the best.”
Dallas extended its winning streak to eight games over the Giants in season openers and to five games overall in the series.
The win came at a cost for the Cowboys, however. Wide receiver Dez Bryant broke a
bone in his right foot and will undergo surgery that will sideline him four to six weeks, coach Jason Garrett said. Even so, Bryant hopped around outside the locker room to congratulate his teammates after the win.
“That’s a tough loss,” Romo said of Bryant.
New York turned three turnovers into 17 points, but poor clock management on the last scoring drive likely cost New York the game. Quarterback Eli Manning threw a pass out of the end zone on third down to stop the clock when the Cowboys were out of timeouts.
Both the coach and quarterback took blame for mismanaging the clock.
“We’re on the road and had an excellent chance to win,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “It’s my fault at the end of the game. There’s nobody to blame but me. The decision to throw the ball there on third down was not a good decision.
“It should have been a run whether we scored or not. The clock would have at least given us the opportunity to take a few more seconds off.”
Manning wasn’t without fault. If he took a sack on the play, the Giants could have run nearly 40 seconds off the clock before kicking a field goal.
“That’s 100 percent on me right there, clock management on that whole deal,” Manning said. “I had the option to take the sack and give them less time. That’s 100 percent on me. It can’t happen.”
The Giants wound up getting a field goal to boost their lead to 26-20, but they left 1:34 for the Dallas offense.
Romo finished the game 36 of 45 for 356 yards with three touchdown passes. The wild finish made up for his two interceptions.
New York’s opportunistic defense turned the tide in a game the Cowboys dominated early. The Giants scored twice in the final minute of the first half and went up 23-13 in the fourth quarter after picking off Romo for the second time.
The big plays on defense nearly compensated for the Giants’ struggles with the ball. Manning was only 20 of 36 for 193 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass or an interception.
New York grabbed a 16-6 lead by taking the second-half kickoff 68 yards in 12 plays, culminating in kicker Josh Brown’s third field goal.
Dallas responded with its first touchdown. A pass-interference call set up the Cowboys at the New York 2-yard line before Romo found tight end Gavin Escobar tiptoeing at the back of the end zone.
Down 16-13 and with the ball, Dallas committed its third costly turnover. Cowboys receiver Devin Street appeared to make a catch over the middle, but Giants safety Brandon Meriweather leveled Street, and the ball ricocheted into the arms of cornerback Trumaine McBride.
McBride returned the pick 19 yards to the Dallas 1. Running back Rashad Jennings ran it up the middle on the next play, and New York was back up 10.
Romo led a hurry-up drive that ended with a short touchdown pass to Witten (eight catches, 60 yards, two touchdowns). The Cowboys were down 23-20 with 5:11 to play.
The Giants tied to run out the clock behind Jennings, who had 27-yard burst into Dallas territory on the final possession. New York settled for Josh Brown’s 19-yard field and a six-point lead.
The Giants were outplayed in the first half but went into the locker room up 13-6 thanks to two Dallas turnovers in the final minute of the second quarter.
Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley had the ball stripped by McBride. New York corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie scooped up the ball and raced 57 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
Romo was intercepted on the ensuing play from scrimmage, as Giants linebacker Uani’ Unga pulled in a tipped throw intended for Witten. Brown followed by making a 40-yard field goal with 19 seconds left.
Dallas trailed at halftime despite dominating in total yardage (201-86) and time of possession (22:06-7:54). Romo finished the half with 146 passing yards, while Randle had 39 on the ground.
Manning was only 7-for-15 for 56 yards going into the break.
The Cowboys moved down the field with little resistance on their opening drive until reaching the red zone. A holding penalty from the 5-yard line plus Romo’s first two incompletions, both in the end zone, forced Dallas to settle for kicker Dan Bailey’s short field goal.
New York answered with its own field goal on a march that included two official reviews on potential turnovers. Both calls went the Giants’ way. Brown split the uprights from 50 yards out.
Bailey nailed a 32-yarder midway through the second quarter to give Dallas a 6-3 lead.
