Cowboys / Giants

Oh, oh, oh, home-field advantage. The Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants are both pretty good football teams. Going into Sunday, both teams had identical W-L records and were evenly matched talent-wise. However, Dallas had to play this game on a cold, damp field in front of a loud, boisterous crowd in New York City. Therefore, particularly on offense, the Cowboys were no match for the Giants. The game was not as close as the score indicated and the Cowboys only scored a touchdown because Aaron Glenn set them up inside the Giants' 10 yard line with an interception.

The game was actually lost at the offensive line. Dallas never established a running game or gave Drew Bledsoe enough time to pass.

The Cowboy defense, for the most part, played very well. The secondary played excellently, providing very good coverage the entire game. Their run defense was spotty, giving Tiki Barber too many five to ten yard runs. Roy Williams, Terrance Newman, Jason Ferguson, and Brady James all had excellent games.

All in all, this makes Dallas' playoff run a bit harder, but not impossible. Two wins "at home," and a split on the road will give them a 10-6 record. That will probably be enough for a playoff berth. Who knows, in a very balanced NFC, I'm not ruling out the playoffs with a 9-7 W-L and a good conference record. GO COWBOYS!!