Sideline Notebook: Giants @ Cowboys

INSULT AND INJURY

The Cowboys had everything going for them heading into Sunday Night’s game: home-field advantage, a healthy roster (minus TE Martellus Bennett), and a chance to take control of the NFC East with a win over the Giants.

They were also about to face a Giants team that was depleted on defense.

DE Osi Umenyiora was out. SS Kenny Phillips would not dress. And MLB Mark Herzlich was being replaced by Chase Blackburn, who had been on the couch for the first eleven games of the season before the Giants signed him.

But almost as soon as the Sunday Night game began, it was the Cowboys who did most of the limping.

Rookie RB DeMarco Murray, whose breakout performances had earned him the starting role in front of Felix Jones, suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter.

His injury left Jones as the lone running back on the Cowboys active roster after rookie Phillip Tanner had been placed on IR Friday with a hamstring injury.

Murray had suffered a fractured ankle and a high ankle sprain and did not return.

Not long after, Pro Bowl corner Mike Jenkins suffered a shoulder injury. When he was taken off the field, one trainer cradled Jenkins’ right arm, suspending it in space as if to relieve Jenkins of the burden of carrying his own limb.

Jenkins would return with a brace on his shoulder but was used sparingly. The Cowboys could have used him as the Giants engineered two touchdown drives in the games final five minutes.

Next came Phil Costa. The Cowboys starting center was taken to the locker room with a concussion leaving rookie Kevin Kowalski to make the rest of the snaps.

At one point LB Sean Lee left the field and went to the locker room. He would later return and make a game-changing interception in the fourth quarter.

All Pro NT Jay Ratliff appeared to be playing in pain most of the night. While there was no official injury status given for Ratliff, it appeared trainers were paying particular attention to his ribs.

Back-up safety Barry Church, who the Cowboys use in their sub packages, also suffered a shoulder injury that took him out of the the game. At one point, Church was surrounded by three trainers who in unison took hold of Church’s right arm and appeared to pop Church’s shoulder back into place. Eventually, Church took off the shoulder pads and had his shoulder wrapped in an ice pack.

And DeMarcus Ware, who suffered a stinger a week ago in the loss to Arizona, appeared to suffer another one late in the game. His absence was also notable on the Giants final scoring drive.

Added to all of that injury news was the insult of a blocked field goal attempt which would have tied the game and sent it to overtime. The sum total was another excruciating loss for the Cowboys.

JPP

Jason Pierre-Paul, whose nickname is “JPP”, led the Giants defensive effort and made the big plays when it counted.

Pierre-Paul had a team-high six tackles and two sacks on the night. He also scored the game’s first points with a safety. But his biggest moment came at the end of the game when he blocked Dan Bailey‘s field goal attempt.

So on Sunday night, JPP could have easily stood for “Jarring, Pounding Plays.”

Or “Jolting Players with Power.”

How about “Just Plain Perfect.”

You get the idea. I feel pretty certain JPP got a game ball.

KEEPING UP WITH THE MANNINGS

Now eight seasons into his career, Eli Manning is demonstrating the same kind of durability brother Peyton was known for (before this season).

Eli made his 116th consecutive regular-season start Sunday night, which tied him with Ron Jaworski for the third-longest streak by any quarterback in NFL history.

The two longest streaks are held by the legendary Brett Favre (297) and brother Peyton Manning (208).

It will take some time before Eli catches up to his older brother’s streak.

But on Sunday night he tied his bro in a different category.

Eli’s eight-yard TD pass to TE Jake Ballard with 3:14 to go in the game was a critically important score. But that fourth-quarter touchdown pass also put the younger Manning in an elite group.

Eli became the third QB in NFL history to throw 14 fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a single season. Johnny Unitas did it in 1959 in just twelve games. Peyton Manning did it 2002.

And the final scoring drive capped by Brandon Jacobs‘ one-yard touchdown (followed by D.J. Ware‘s 2-point conversion) earned Eli his sixth game-winning drive in the fourth quarter this season.