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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants had an opportunity to upset the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football but couldn’t pull it off, falling 37-18.
The Giants are now 2-7 and have lost five straight games. Dallas is 5-3, atop the NFC East. Even a black cat that ran in front of the Dallas bench, and pretty much all over MetLife Stadium couldn’t change the Giants’ luck. The Giants have now lost six straight games to the Cowboys.
“All the things you can’t do in a ball game happened, they hurt us and we lost,” said head coach Pat Shurmur.
The Giants trailed by just a point, 16-15, entering the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hang in the game in the final 15 minutes. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott threw two of his three touchdown passes in the final quarter, 15 yards to Michael Gallup and 45 yards to Amari Cooper. The Cowboys also scored on a 63-yard fumble return in the closing seconds.
The Giants settled for field goals on four drives into the Dallas red zone, three of which ended inside the Cowboys 10-yard line.
The Giants, who came into the game having given up nine passes of 40 yards or more, gave up a pair of 40+ yard touchdown passes. One was to Blake Jarwin, a 42-yarder. Five of Jarwin’s six career touchdowns are against the Giants. The other was the 45-yarder to Cooper. The Giants have now given up 11 passing plays of 40 yards or more, tied with the Green Bay Packers for most in the league.
Giants’ quarterback Daniel Jones finished 26 of 41 for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also fumbled twice, including one that was returned for a score. Jones now has a league-worst 15 turnovers.
Saquon Barkley carried 14 times for just 28 yards, tying his lowest rushing yardage total for any full game played in his career.
Ezekiel Elliott ran for 139 yards on 23 carries for Dallas.
Missed opportunity in first half
The Giants trailed 13-12 at the end of the first half after amassing a 12-3 lead.
The Giants settled for field goals twice after getting inside the Dallas 10-yard line, once taking over the ball inside the 10 after an Antoine Bethea interception.
Dallas scored 10 points in the final 1:05 of the second quarter to turn a nine-point deficit into a one-point lead. First, a 42-yard catch and run by tight end Blake Jarwin completed a six-play, 75-yard drive. After a Daniel Jones interception on the ensuing Giants’ possession, a 52-yard Brett Maher field goal dave the Cowboys the lead on the final play of the half.
What’s next?
The Giants face the New York Jets in a 1 p.m. ET game on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. This will be a home game for the 1-7 Jets, who are coming off a disappointing loss to the previously winless Miami Dolphins.