Discussing Giants divisonal playoff victory over Dallas on Jan. 13

The Giants played arguably one of the gutsiest games in the franchise’s history by taking down the NFC’s best team- the Dallas Cowboys- in their divisional playoff match-up (Sunday, Jan. 13) at Texas Stadium with a 21-17 victory.

Here are some thoughts from the game:

*Eli Manning played another solid game today completing 12-of-18 passes for 163 yards and connecting for two touchdowns with Amani Toomer. The Giants most important touchdown of the game came in the final minute of the first half as Eli drove the team down field in thirty six seconds (which were highlighted by two Steve Smith catches and the aid of a Jacques Reeves facemask penalty) for a touchdown which give the team a big morale boost going into the half with the game tied at 14. Like many in the media have stated already (but I’ll say it again) Eli has grown a great deal since the end of the regular season and has continued to show maturity and toughness in the past two weeks and any doubts of coming through in big games, should have been erased with today’s performance.

* It looked like the Cowboys offense was going to have another big day in the first half as the Giants just couldn’t stop Marion Barber who ran wild for 101 yards while Tony Romo had plenty of time in the pocket to throw which allowed the team to continuously convert on third down plays which led to a ten minute drive that led to the team’s second touchdown of the day. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnoli and the rest of the Giants coaching staff deserve a lot of credit for making the right adjustments at halftime, which resulted in the defense getting more pressure on Romo, who in turn as he came apart at the seams late in the game, which led to many poor decisions such as throwing the ball to the sidelines with no Cowboy receiver in sight ( resulting in an intentional grounding call) and making hurried throws which missed his targets completely, most notably missing Terrell Owens near the endzone in the third quarter, which meant the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal which proved to be crucial turning point in the game.

* A lot of Giants besides Eli, deserve kudos for their play today, most notably: Amani Toomer, Brandon Jacobs, Steve Smith, Kawika Mitchell, Gibril Wilson and Osi Umenyiora. But R.W. McQuarters deserves big props for his third quarter 25-yard punt return that set up the team’s go-ahead touchdown and picking off Tony Romo on the final play of the game in the endzone, after not getting an interception during the entire regular season.

* Corey Webster undoubtedly feels relived by the win, as Tony Romo’s pass intended for Terry Glenn landed right in his hands during the second quarter as if the pass had been intended for him but for what ever reason dropped the ball. Had the Giants not won this game, this play might have been remembered the way Red Sox fans recall Bill Buckner’s game six error from the 1986 World Series.

* The Giants offensive play calling could’ve been a little more imaginative during its final possession of the game by perhaps having Eli throw on second down, although Kevin Gilbride did have to be careful because containing Demarcus Ware, who already had one sack in the game, would not be easy and he could’ve easily nailed Eli again for another big loss which would’ve pinned the Giants deep in their own territory, giving the Cowboys even better field position then it had for their final drive of the game.

* Some football fans may have been disappointed the Cowboys fell to the Giants today as they appeared to be the best opponent that the NFC could provide for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. However the Giants (should they beat Green Bay next week) who presented a tough challenge to the Pats in week 17 in their pursuit to complete their perfect regular season could easily provide even more resistance in Glendale as demonstrated by their resilient showings over the past two Sundays. Green Bay, should they win the NFC Championship, with the age-less quarterback Brett Farve would be no push over either.

* It used to be the Washington Redskins who had the most intense rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys. But after today’s showdown, I think its safe to say that the Giants are currently the Cowboys fiercest rivals and these two clubs will have even greater battles for many years to come.

* Even though this is a Giants blog, I will give Terrell Owens props for the way he handled himself in the post game press conference, by being candid with the media despite obviously being devastated by the loss, sticking up for his teammate Tony Romo and not using his ankle injury as an excuse for the loss.