New York Giants 31 – Dallas Cowboys 14

Giants Win NFC East, Host Falcons in First Round of Playoffs: The New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With the victory, the Giants won the NFC East Division Championship and ended the season for the Cowboys. The Giants finished the 2011 regular-season at 9-7, winning three of their last four games, including two against Dallas.

The division title is the Giants’ 22nd in their history and third under Head Coach Tom Coughlin with the previous two being in 2005 and 2008.

The Giants will now host the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the NFC playoffs at 1:00PM on Sunday, January 8th.

The Giants out-gained the Cowboys in many key statistical categories including total net yards (437 to 300), net yards rushing (106 to 49), net yards passing (331 to 251), and time of possession (34:33 to 25:27). The Giants also committed fewer turnovers (0 to 2) and penalties (3 to 7).

The Giants dominated the first half of the game. New York scored touchdowns on three of five first-half possessions to take a 21-0 lead at the break.

On the Giants’ second possession of the game, after gaining one first down with a 12-yard pass from QB Eli Manning to TE Bear Pascoe on 3rd-and-9, Manning threw a short out to WR Victor Cruz on 3rd-and-1. Cruz then sprinted away from the Dallas defense en route to a 74-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Giants’ advantage, culminating a 6-play, 96-yard drive.

On the Giants’ third possession, the Giants went up 14-0 when New York drove 68 yards in 10 plays. HB Ahmad Bradshaw finished off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run around right end.

The Giants drove to the Dallas 14-yard line on their fourth possession, but after a fumble by HB Brandon Jacobs and and a 2-yard loss by Bradshaw, the Giants were forced to settle for a 40-yard field goal that PK Lawrence Tynes missed.

The Giants scored another touchdown on their fifth and final possession of the first half by driving 80 yards in 8 plays. The key plays on this drive included three catches for 30 yards by FB Henry Hynoski, a 29-yard run by Bradshaw, and the 10-yard Manning-to-Bradshaw touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Giants’ defense pitched a first half shutout. Dallas was forced to punt on their first five possessions, gaining only three first downs and 39 net yards. The Cowboys did manage to reach the Giants’ 34-yard line on their sixth and final possession of the first half, but missed the 52-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

The game got far tighter in the second half as the Cowboys scored 14 unanswered points and cut the Giants’ lead to 21-14.

The Giants only gained one first down on their first four possessions of the second half, punting the ball three times and turning the football over on downs after a Dallas turnover gave the Giants the football at the Cowboys’ 44-yard line. Meanwhile, the Cowboys drove 94 yards in 9 plays on their first possession of the second half to score their first touchdown of the game. Three possessions later, with a little over 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Dallas scored their second touchdown after a short punt was returned to the Giants’ 41-yard line and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on WR Devin Thomas was tacked on. Three plays and 26 yards later, the Giants led by only one touchdown.

New York then responded with a 9-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 28-yard field goal by Tynes and a 24-14 advantage with just under six minutes left to play. The key plays on the possession were 44- and 20-yard passes from Manning to Cruz.

The Giants’ defense then forced a three-and-out and a poor Dallas punt gave the Giants the football at the Cowboys’ 45-yard line. On 3rd-and-5, Manning found WR Hakeem Nicks for a 36-yard gain. On the very next snap, Manning hit Nicks for a 4-yard touchdown and a 31-14 lead with 3:41 to play.

On the ensuing and final Cowboys’ possession, QB Tony Romo was sacked by DE Justin Tuck on 3rd-and-6. Romo fumbled and LB Mathias Kiwanuka recovered the football at the Dallas 43-yard line. The Giants then knelt on the ball to seal the game.

Offensively, Manning finished the game 24-of-33 for 346 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Cruz caught 6 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown while Nicks chipped in with 5 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Bradshaw rushed 16 times for 57 yards and a touchdown (and also added a touchdown reception).

Defensively, LB Michael Boley led the team with 9 tackles. S Antrel Rolle had 8 tackles and 1 interception. The Giants accrued six sacks by five players: DE Osi Umenyiora (2), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (1), DE Justin Tuck (1), DT Chris Canty (1), and LB Jacquian Williams (1). LB Mathias Kiwanuka had two tackles for losses and one fumble recovery.

Highlights/lowlights of the game are available at NFL.com.

Video of the post-game locker room celebration is available at Giants.com.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Post-Game Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-game press conference are available at Giants.com.

Post-Game Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of post-game media sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:

• QB Eli Manning (Video)
• HB Brandon Jacobs (Video)
• WR Victor Cruz (Video)
• WR Hakeem Nicks (Video)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (Video)
• DE Justin Tuck (Video)
• LB Mathias Kiwanuka (Video)
• LB Michael Boley (Video)
• S Antrel Rolle (Video)

Post-Game Notes and Quotes: Inactive for the Giants were WR Ramses Barden, TE Jake Ballard (knee), OC Jim Cordle, OT James Brewer, DE Justin Trattou, DT Jimmy Kennedy, and LB Mark Herzlich (ankle).

Message from Giants’ Senior Vice President of Communications Pat Hanlon to BBI: “Dear BBIers, on behalf of the rest of us here at the Giants, Happy New Year! We appreciate your support, and for the fans who were in MetLife Stadium tonight, you did a fantastic job. You brought great energy, and you were vital to our success. Thank you. Let’s do it again next week.”