Giants vs. Cowboys: Turning Point Of Sunday Night Football

By Kenneth Teape | Sep 14, 2015

The New York Giants suffered an excruciating loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football. The Giants came in as pretty big underdogs, but were in position to pick up an upset victory over their NFC East division rivals. But, that went up in smoke when Tony Romo drove the Cowboys down the field with ease, throwing a touchdown pass to Jason Witten with seven seconds remaining to ice the game.

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Many people will point out what set that up, a third-and-goal from the two that Eli Manning ended up throwing out of the back of the end zone was the turning point of the game. Had the Giants decided to run the ball, they would have at worst ran another 40 second off the clock, giving the Cowboys under a minute to get down field. Instead, a play action was called and the play was defended well (albeit it somewhat illegally as Daniel Fells was held).

Regardless, the Giants handed the ball back to Romo and the Cowboys and watched him tear through the Giants overmatched defense. While that play will be scrutinized for weeks following the loss, there was actually another play that changed the tide of this game.

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Coming out of halftime with all of the momentum, the Giants added another Josh Brown field goal to their score, pushing their lead to 16-6. They looked to have the Cowboys on the ropes a little bit, as their last two possessions ended in turnovers. The first, a Cole Beasley fumble, that was returned for a touchdown by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Minutes later, Uani Unga intercepted a Romo pass that went off the hands of Jason Witten.

The Cowboys, desperately needing an answer, were driving down the field. The Giants bend but don’t break defense was on full display, as they looked like they were going to hold off another Cowboys drive with a field goal. On third-and-four from the Giants 18 yard line, Romo dropped back to pass. He would lob a pass to Terrance Williams in the end zone, who was defended by Rodgers-Cromartie.

Rodgers-Cromartie knocked the ball away, and it looked like the Giants had held once again, forcing the Cowboys to attempt a field goal. But, at the two yard line, there was some laundry on the field as side judge Gary Cavaletto threw a flag for pass interference. Rodgers-Cromartie vehemently argued the call, and with good reason.

Sep 13, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (41) is called for pass interference on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams (83) in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Cavaletto said that he pulled on Williams right shoulder, but that did not look like the case on replay. According to the rules, Williams shoulder has to be turned for a pass interference call to be made; that did not look to be the case. Even with numerous replays, it was hard to see where it happened as Cavaletto seemed to make a bad call that would work against the Giants.

This would turn the tide of the game, as the Cowboys were placed on the two-yard line. They would score a touchdown on the next play, as Romo stood in the pocket with an eternity to throw, eventually finding tight end Gavin Escobar in the back of the endzone.

That made the score 16-13 in favor of the Giants. There is no telling what would have happened after that, but had the Cowboys been forced to attempt a field goal, the Giants would have held a 16-9 lead at worst. That would mean the questionable call on third-and-goal would not have been as egregious, as the Giants would have already held a six point lead. In that scenario, a field goal is all they would have needed to put the Cowboys away and ice the game.

Instead, the Giants were ahead by only six after the dubious play call. We know what happened after that, as it resulted in a disappointing Giants loss to the start the season instead of a great upset victory to kick things off. That pass interference call changed the whole tide of the game and was the turning point in the game.

*Honorable mention also goes to Preston Parker, who dropped not one, not two, but THREE third down passes that all would have resulted in first downs and extended drives for the Giants. Why he was being targeted in key situations is hard to understand, but it was as clear a sign as any that the Giants cannot wait for, and are hoping Victor Cruz returns sooner than later from his calf injury.

Next: Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys Team Grades

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