After a rough first half, the Cowboys came out in the second half as a much more composed team. They started the third quarter with a 14 play drive that took them 75 yards down the field. With 7:21 left in the 3rd quarter, Dak Prescott connected with Dalton Schultz for the Cowboys’ first points since early in the 2nd quarter.
On the Giants’ first possession of the second half, the Cowboys defense forced a turnover on downs after 6 plays for only 20 yards.
The Cowboys got the ball back and added 7 more points to their total with another Dalton Schultz reception that he took into the end zone.
The Giants had another chance with the ball, but the Cowboys defense once again made quick work of them. After 5 plays for 27 yards, the Giants were forced to punt.
The Cowboys’ third possession of the second half started on their own 20 yard line. On their 10th play of the drive Hendershot took the ball into the end zone, and a good extra point by Brett Maher brought the score to Cowboys 28, Giants 13. That made 21 unanswered points for Dallas.
The Giants almost got going on their following possession. They took advantage of run plays and short passes to move down the field, but a Micah Parsons sack for a 10 yard loss forced the Giants into 3rd and 20 just as they crossed into Dallas territory. The Giants worked their way to 4th and 9 but turned the ball over on downs after an incomplete pass from Daniel Jones targeting Isaiah Hodgins.
Eventually, the Giants did score once more, but the game ended with the Cowboys on top 28 to 20.
The win came despite continued penalty trouble. The Cowboys ended the game with a total of 13 penalties. Dak Prescott completed 21 of 30 attempted passes for 261 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. This was his 10th consecutive win over the Giants since losing to them twice when the Cowboys went 13-3 his rookie year in 2016. CeeDee Lamb had his second 100+ yard game of the season. He hauled in 6 receptions for 106 yards. Micah Parsons ended the night with 2 sacks and 3 tackles.
The Giants’ biggest running threat, Saquon Barkley, was held to 39 yards rushing and a 1-yard TD behind an offensive line that was missing three starters due to injury. This was the Giant’s third loss in four games.
The Cowboys now have a mini-bye. Their next game will take place on December 4th when Indianapolis visits Dallas for Sunday Night Football.