Giants Country

Giants Fall to Dallas 28-20 on Thanksgiving

The injury-plagued Giants have now lost two in a row for the first time under head coach Brian Daboll.

Joe Najarian

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Giants blew a 13-7 halftime lead over the Dallas Cowboys, falling to their division rivals 28-20 at AT&T Stadium thanks in part to two touchdown catches by tight end Dalton Schultz.

New York, who, with the loss, fell to 7-4 on the year, have now been swept by the Cowboys in the season series for the second straight year and have not beaten Dallas in a game with quarterback Dak Prescott since his rookie season in 2016 (the Giants swept the season series that year).

More importantly for the Giants, they lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with Dallas, who improves to 8-3 in the division and who tightens their hold on second place.

The Cowboys completely dominated the second half. The Giants' defense, hampered by injuries entering the game, allowed 431 yards. Although they were able to force a pair of big interceptions in the first half, they collapsed in the final 30 minutes by allowing three consecutive touchdowns. Dallas converted 7 of 11 third-down attempts; the Giants, meanwhile, converted just three of 11 third-down plays and were zero for two on fourth down.

Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 21 of 35 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown, for a passer rating of 88.7. Running back Saquon Barkley was used sparingly, as he carried the ball 11 times for 39 yards.

Although the Giants were forced to punt on their first drive, it didn’t take long for them to find a scoring opportunity. Dallas faced 4th-and-2 at their 40-yard line, and head coach Mike McCarthy chose to go for it. This decision backfired as Giants defenders Jason Pinnock and Jaylon Smith tackled Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott well short of the line of gain.

The Giants appeared to capitalize when Jones threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins, but the score was nullified on a highly questionable illegal man downfield call. The penalty would derail the drive, and by the end of the drive, the Giants faced a 4th and 32 at the Dallas 39-yard line. But New York still got on the board as kicker Graham Gano nailed an impressive 57-yard field goal.

Dallas moved the ball to the Giants 43-yard line on their next drive, but cornerback Rodarius Williams intercepted a pass from Cowboys QB Dak Prescott for another big defensive play. This time, however, the offense couldn’t generate anything and was forced to punt.

The Cowboys responded with an 11-play, 93-yard touchdown drive. Prescott converted a pair of third downs with a pair of passes to Michael Gallup, and a 22-yard run by Elliott and a 25-yard completion to CeeDee Lamb moved the ball inside the red zone. Elliott finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run to put Dallas up 7-3.

But the Giants responded right away by moving 75 yards in 10 plays. New York would advance to the Dallas 45-yard line when on 2nd and 4, Jones launched a deep pass downfield. Wide receiver Darius Slayton then made a sensational catch over Cowboys defender Anthony Brown for a 44-yard completion, moving the ball to the 1-yard line. Barkley finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Giants back ahead, 10-7. (Fun fact: this was the Giants’ first offensive touchdown in a Thanksgiving Day game since 1938)

After an exchange of punts, Dallas moved the ball as far as the Giants' 25. Sloppy play from both teams ensued, including three consecutive penalties (two by Dallas) and a four-yard loss. Finally, Prescott threw a pass to Lamb that was deflected off cornerback Darnay Holmes and intercepted by safety Julian Love to end the drive.

The Giants capitalized with an efficient 44-yard drive over the final minute and 46 seconds. The offense caught a break when an illegal contact penalty negated a Jones interception on Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs. 

Jones then completed a 14-yard pass to Slayton, scrambled for eight, and completed a 10-yarder to Tanner Hudson on the way to the Dallas 29. With four seconds remaining, Gano drilled a 47-yard field goal to make it 13-7 Giants at halftime.

The first drive of the second half was a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive for Dallas that took over seven and a half minutes off the clock. The Cowboys converted on four third downs during the drive, although one was from yet another questionable penalty, this one a holding call against Darnay Holmes. Prescott finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz on 3rd and Goal to put Dallas back up, 14-13.

A major turning point in the game occurred on the Giants’ ensuing drive. Advancing to their own 45-yard line, the offense faced 4th and 1. Coach Brian Daboll elected to go for it, but Barkley dropped a catchable ball for a turnover on downs, swinging the momentum to the Cowboys.

Even worse, Dallas capitalized on their great field position. A one-handed grab by Lamb moved the ball to the Giants 4, and three plays later, Prescott threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Schultz to extend the Cowboys’ lead to 21-13.

The Giants were forced to punt on their next drive, and Dallas kept pouring it on with a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. A 30-yard reception by Jake Ferguson and a 23-yard reception by Lamb highlighted the drive, which was finished by a 2-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Hendershot. Dallas now led 28-13.

All the Giants could do on their next drive was turn the ball over on downs once again, and the game was all but over. When Jones connected with Richie James for a 1-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-20, only eight seconds remained in the game.

The Giants will host the Washington Commanders next week, while Dallas will host the Colts.

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Joe Najarian
JOE NAJARIAN

Joe Najarian, a Rutgers University graduate, covered Rutgers Football and Rutgers Baseball during an eight-month stint with Jersey Sporting News (JSN).

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