Giants Resist Cowboys’ Last-Minute Comeback To Win Season Opener 20-19

Dak Prescott had an opportunity to win his first NFL start as Dallas’s–down 20-19– offense raced from their own 20-yard line with 1:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Giants Resist Cowboys’ Last-Minute Comeback To Win Season Opener 20-19

The rookie Cowboys quarterback– out of Mississippi State– led a drive that fell short eight plays later as wide receiver Terrance Williams caught a pass in New York Giants territory, but failed to get out of bounds in time to stop the clock.

Thus, the Giants ultimately came away with the season-opening win at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Sunday evening.

The Cowboys gained a 6-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to two field goals from Dan Bailey, who added two more later that were kicked from 50 yards or more.

The Giants, led by quarterback Eli Manning, barely saw the field early, and scored three touchdowns on as many trips to the end zone.

Manning finished 19 of 28 for 207 yards, including a 45-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. set up the first TD, which was scored by tight end Larry Donnell with 9:38 left in the first half.

Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz played his first game since October 2014 and contributed greatly, earning four passes for 35 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, on a third-and-goal with 6:19 left in the game.

Cruz, who missed most of 2014 with a knee injury and all of last season with a bad calf, broke free in the end zone for a 3-yard TD, prompting his trademark salsa dance.

In the final seconds of the second quarter, Manning threw to rookie wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who leaped to catch the 9-yard pass in the end zone–despite double-coverage– for the touchdown to put New York up 13-9. The Giants would, however, stunningly miss the extra point to keep their lead at four points.

Shepard dedicated the TD, his first with the Giants, to his late father, former Cowboys wideout Derrick Shepard, who died in 1999 of a heart attack at age 35 when Sterling was only 6  years old.

“Definitely the touchdown felt like something, just a sigh of relief,” Shepard told the New York Daily News, “and what better team to do it against, and what better a setting? My family’s all here. My friends are all here. It’s a great feeling.”

Nevertheless, Manning and the Giants offense– as well as the defense– appeared to fall apart in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter. In the first minute of the third quarter, Manning tossed a terrible interception to Brandon Carr on second down that set up a Cowboys touchdown.

Several of Manning’s passes from then on, aside from Cruz’s TD pass, seemed to go nowhere near Giants receivers. Both the New York offense and defense received several penalties in the second half, during which new head coach Ben McAdoo– the former offensive coordinator who took over for veteran coach Tom Coughlin during the offseason– seemed to be fuming on the sidelines. The Giants took a timeout in the last minute before Dallas’ final drive that nearly turned the game around for the Cowboys.

McAdoo is the second-youngest head coach in the NFL at 39.

Ezekiel Elliott’s debut with Dallas was underwhelming. The rookie running back racked up only 51 yards against a Giants defense that held him to just 2.5 yards per carry, although he had his first touchdown, and the only one for the Cowboys. Prescott finished 25 of 45 for 227 yards.

Veteran Alfred Morris also saw his share of snaps down the stretch and ran well for 35 yards at five yards per carry.

The win, though a close one, was especially significant for the Giants as it came on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Cruz and Beckham Jr. both honored the victims by donning patriotic cleats that featured a red and white Nike swoosh on the blue footwear, as well as the American flag and a drawing of an eagle. The NFL will reportedly likely fine the two Giants players, along with Titans linebacker Avery Williamson and Colts punter Pat McAfee, for wearing the cleats on the season-opening day, despite the move done in solidarity with the victims of the national tragedy, on grounds that the shoes violate the NFL’s uniform policies.

ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 11: Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants drops back to pass during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)