ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cowboys had one of the top plays of the season on DeMarvion Overshown's acrobatic tip-pick-6 for the first touchdown of the game.
That was one of many highlights for the Cowboys, who had three touchdowns overall. But here are some plays that might be forgotten but could've changed the outcome.
Dowdle erases second-and-long – Down 7-3 in the first quarter, the pressure was on for the Cowboys to match the Giants' touchdown. After getting one first down, they were pushed back due to a personal foul on left tackle Chuma Edoga that put them at second-and-21. But on the next play, Rico Dowdle had his longest rush of the season with a 22-yarder for a first down. He followed that up with another 13-yard run. The Cowboys were able to get a field goal on the drive, but if they didn't convert on second-and-long, the Giants would've had the chance to build on some early momentum.
Giants recover fumble on kickoff – So this play seemed to be one that would favor the Giants, but as it turned out, it proved to be a positive for the Cowboys in the long run. The Cowboys had to settle for a previous field goal and trailed 7-6, but they nearly got the break they needed on the ensuing kickoff, forcing a fumble after a long return. Instead, the Giants were able to get the ball back at their own 40-yard line. Also on the play, special teams standout Juanyeh Thomas suffered an injury and never returned. But on the Giants' first snap of their possession, DeMarvion Overshown tipped a would-be screen pass into the air, caught the ball himself and ran 23 yards to the end zone for the first touchdown of his career – a play that wouldn't have happened if the Cowboys had actually recovered that fumble.
Rush fumble overturned, leads to TD – The Cowboys nearly gave away an early second-half gift after forcing a turnover. Dallas was about to score inside the 5-yard line when Cooper Rush was hit and fumbled, which was recovered by the Giants in the end zone. But replay officials ruled Rush was barely down before fumbling. That put the ball at the Giants' 2 on third down, setting up Rush's TD pass to Brandin Cooks in the receiver's first game back from injury.
Two P.I. calls on same drive – With the Cowboys leading 20-10, they saw the drive extended twice on the same drive due to pass interference penalties. The first one occurred on third-and-6 at the Cowboys' 34-yard line. They were able to drive the ball into the red zone and after Rush was able to avoid another disaster and recover his own fumble, it set up third-and-11 from the Giants' 16. Rush fired a slant pass to Jonathan Mingo, who was hit early by cornerback Adoree Jackson. That put the ball on the 8, and Dowdle scored two plays later for a 27-10 lead.
Giants' big play negated by flag – The Giants were down 14 points with the ball midway through the fourth quarter, still with a chance to make this a game. On first down, Drew Lock hit Malik Nabers for a 29-yard gain to midfield, but it was called back due to a holding penalty on tight end Chris Manhertz. That pushed the Giants back closer to their own end zone, and eventually they punted after a third-down sack by Osa Odighizuwa. That gave the Cowboys the ball at their own 39 with 6:59 play.
Bonus Play:
Giants have critical offsides – In the final two minutes, the Giants were down by 7 after scoring a late touchdown. They had a chance to stop the Cowboys and get the ball back, but an offside call on first down gave the Cowboys a first-and-5. The Giants tried to purposely take a 12-man on the field penalty to help them get the ball back, but the Cowboys alertly declined. They were able to get just enough yards on three plays – thanks to a diving catch by Brandin Cooks – to take the 27-20 victory.
