Giants vs. Cowboys: Highlights, game tracker and more

The New York Giants faced the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season. Here are the highlights from the game.

The Dallas Cowboys will have Ezekiel Elliott on their roster for the foreseeable future as he was cleared to play in the season opener on Sunday night against the New York Giants, plus his suspension has been put on hold with a federal court judge, delaying a six-game suspension. That sat as a big wrinkle for the Sunday Night Football matchup. Just as big was Odell Beckham Jr. being forced to sit out with an ankle injury.

Whether it was Beckham’s absence or the abysmal play on the offensive line, the Giants offense looked lost in the first half. They couldn’t get anything of substance going. Early on, the Cowboys mimicked that trend. Dak Prescott seemed too amped up as he overthrew a number of passes. Despite dominating time of possession and the game, Dallas ended the first quarter only ahead by a field goal.

Things turned more favorable for the Cowboys in the second period, however. Both Prescott and Elliott got into a rhythm and were able to move the ball down the field. The run game set up a beautiful play action play that put Jason Witten — ol’ reliable — into the end zone for the score. Meanwhile, Dan Bailey added two more field goals to give the Boys a 16-0 halftime cushion.

It seemed as if, coming out of the half, the Giants might’ve fixed some things. They put together a long, 15-play drive that resulted in a field goal — their first points of the game. However, that was fool’s gold. The Dallas defense stood tall at home and turned the pressure back up. That was much needed as the Cowboys offense wasn’t as potent as it had been in the first half, save for Elliott chewing up clock.

The most crucial play came midway through the fourth quarter. New York was looking to drive to try and stay in the game. However, second-year cornerback Anthony Brown was able to jump a slant route and pick off Eli Manning at midfield. That gave the Cowboys the ball back. With the ample offensive line and Elliott, that allowed them to eat up clock, secure another score and seal the win.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/907059390267527173

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/907073773400088576

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If the Cowboys want to repeat as NFC East champions, it will be tough to do so if they start the season with a loss within the division. The Giants will be even tougher than they were a year ago, and though the Cowboys managed to win the East without a win against their rival last year, it would be tough to travel that path again and have that same success.