Die Hard Sports Fan

The Giants were unable to overcome the Cowboys defense who kept on knocking around Eli Manning and prevented the Giants from clinching a First Round Bye by handing Big Blue their third loss of the 2008 Regular Season.

1st Quarter

DeMarcus Ware sacked Eli Manning and forced the ball out of his hands on the first play of the Giants’ opening drive, but it was recovered by Rich Seubert after the Giants lost 9 yards.  The drive ultimately led to a punt.

Romo hit Owens over the middle for 25 yards to get into Giants’ territory.  A couple of plays later, Tony Romo got sacked by Renaldo Wynn for a 6-yard loss and by Jay Alford on the next down for a 7-yard loss which forced the Cowboys to punt (Note: Tony Romo’s status changed to Questionable after taking a beating by the Giants during the 1st Quarter).

2nd Quarter

Eli Manning got sacked by Bradie James on the first play of the 2nd Quarter for a loss of 7 yards on a drive which ultimately led to a punt.

Mathias Kiwanuka sacked Tony Romo for a 4-yard loss on the first play of the Cowboys’ drive which began at the 32 yardline with 13:20 remaining.  Choice had a 22-yard catch-and-run on the very next play to overcome the loss of yardage and move the Cowboys into Giants’ territory.  Tony Romo rolled to the right and aired out a 30-yard Touch Down pass to Patrick Crayton giving the Cowboys a 7-0 lead with 11:11 remaining.

Manning opened up the aerial attack on the Cowboys to get the offense rolling.  From shotgun, Eli Manning got sacked by DeMarcus Ware with 6:18 remaining for a loss of 3 yards before the Giants got stopped at the 15 yardline.  John Carney made a 34-yard Field Goal Attempt with 4:52 remaining which cut the Cowboys lead to 7-3.

On 3rd and 11, Greg Ellis sacked Eli Manning for a loss of 8 yards with 1:52 remaining which forced the Giants to punt.

3rd Quarter

During the opening drive of the 3rd Quarter, Eli Manning threw an interception right into the hands of Terence Newman who got tackled immediately without a return at the 36 yardline with 12:13 remaining.

On 2nd and 8, Eli Manning dropped back and got sacked by Anthony Spencer and Jay Ratliff for a 5-yard loss 7:44 remaining.  On 3rd and 13, Eli Manning from shotgun got sacked by Greg Ellis with 7:07 remaining for a loss of 6 yards which led to a punt.

On 3rd and 10, Eli Manning scrambled and got sacked by Greg Ellis and Chris Canty for a 2-yard loss with 3:09 remaining which forced the Giants to punt.

4th Quarter

The Cowboys assembled a 72-yard scoring drive where Romo hooked up with Austin for 23 yards, and Choice had a 22-yard run which got the Cowboys deep into Giants’ territory.  Tony Romo capped it off by throwing a 1-yard Touch Down pass to Deon Anderson who was wide open in the left side of the end zone giving the Cowboys a 14-3 lead with 12:13 remaining.

On 3rd and 12 at the Cowboys’ 6 yardline, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka sacked Tony Romo in the end zone for a Safety cutting the lead to 14-5 with 7:06 remaining.

The Giants took over at their own 40 yardline, and Manning worked the no huddle offense before getting stopped at the 29 yardline.  John Carney connected on a 47-yard Field Goal Attempt with 5:48 remaining cutting into the Cowboys lead 14-8.

Romo led the Cowboys on a 66-yard scoring drive, and Tashard Choice ran up the middle untouched for a 38-yard Touch Down run with 2:24 remaining.  Romo threw the 2-Point Conversion out of bounds so the Cowboys lead is 20-8 rather than 21-8.

Began at 21 yardline.  DeMarcus Ware sacked Eli Manning and forced the ball out of his hands, but it was recovered by Kevin Boothe after losing 6 yards with 1:48 remaining.  On the final attempt of a hail mary, Eli Manning threw an interception to Terence Newman who caught it and got tackled immediately at the 10 yardline with 0:07 remaining.

The Cowboys went into victory formation and ran out the clock.

Wrap Up

Eli Manning went 18/35 and threw for 191 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs.

Derrick Ward led in Rushing Attempts and in Rushing Yards with 14 and 64 respectively.

Domenik Hixon led in Receptions and Receiving Yards with 6 and 60 respectively.

John Carney went 2/2 in Field Goal Attempts.

Michael Johnson led the team in Tackles with 5.

Mathias Kiwanuka led the team with 1.5 Sacks, Jay Alford and Renaldo Wynn had 1 Sack, and Justin Tuck had 0.5 Sack.

Mathias Kiwanuka had 1 Forced Fumble.

The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.

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I don’t know about the rest of Redskins nation, but I slept like a baby!! There is nothing better to start of the work week than a good, resounding victory. Even more so, a victory over the hated Dallas Cowboys.

Any style of victory would have suit me just fine. But, the manner in which the Redskins beat the Cowboys has me floating on a cloud. Consider for a moment the key indicators.

The High Powered Offense of the Cowboys -

I’m not going to make any disparaging remarks about their offense. I respect them. They have some talented players. But, most importantly, I believe their offensive line is top notch. That said however, our defense stepped up huge yesterday. First, and foremost, we shut down their run game. They knew it. And, in short order, they abandoned that aspect of their game. In the end, Marion Barber ran for only 26 yards on eight carries. It was noted here earlier in my PreGame Thoughts that when Barber gets more than eleven carries, the Cowboys are an incredible 22-1.

So, the question is already being asked amongst the pundits. Why did Dallas abandon the running game? Well, let me offer my two cents. Marion Barber is a beast. He is a big, strong back with a very high sense of balance. But, he’s slow. Our defense ran him down. More specifically, except on one or two occassions, he couldn’t generate enough momentum to break through the line and gobble up the yards, like he is capable of doing. If the Cowboys start to play Felix Jones more as the season progresses, they will add a dynamic to their offense at the running back position that all teams need: SPEED!

Terrell Owens, naturally, has a different perspective. During his interviews after the game, he seems to be in late season form suggesting that the Dallas offense is all about him.

“It’s no secret, when I get involved, we move the chains. When I don’t, we’re more stagnant in our offense,” Owens said.

Well, what T.O. is not acknowledging is that Shawn Springs played his ‘boohooty’ off yesterday. When he left the game with leg cramps, I admit that I cringed. On television, they had a close up of T.O. speaking to Tony Romo. It was possible to read his lips when he said, “I got him,” speaking of Carlos Rogers. He was licking his chops to go against Rogers.

Well, that didn’t work out for T.O. either. On one drive, late in the game, they attempted three consecutive throws to T.O.; all fell incomplete. T.O. is great receiver. But sometimes, his emotion, or more accurately, the lack of attention his emotion perceives, takes him out of the game. In the end, he only had 71 yards on seven catches.

Matt Mosley reports today that T.O. may have created a new drama in Dallas.

After the game, a Cowboys starter on offense said he thought the team tried too hard to involve T.O. in the second half. It’s not good when a player senses that coaches are calling plays in order to keep a teammate happy. It’s not time to panic if you’re a Cowboys fan, but I’d certainly keep your eye on that situation. It’s a slap in the face to Jason Witten, Patrick Crayton, Miles Austin — and especially rookie Felix Jones to freeze them out in order to please T.O.

Tick tock, tick tock…I’m waiting for the explosion to come to big ‘D’.

The Quality of Play of Jason Campbell -

WOW! I also admit that I was a bit nervous for Jason Campbell going into this game. I remember reading how Jim Zorn told Campbell that he had to trust him. Campbell shot back that Zorn needed to trust him, too. Well, it’s time for all of us fans to trust Campbell, even those that were advocating putting a rookie, Colt Brennan, in as the starting QB.

It’s easy to point to Campbell’s yardage and his touchdown throws yesterday. But, by doing so, we would miss something else: his growing ability to move in the pocket, keep the play alive, and make a play to move the chains or, specifically to yesterdays game, exploit Terence Newman downfield.

Campbell played like a QB that was fully focused on the task at hand. He was the field general that the Redskins needed.

Other Things That Made Me Smile -

Watching Terence Newman try to keep up with James Thrash in motion only to slip and the third change of direction. Campbell saw it and hit Thrash in stride for the Redskins first touchdown.

Watching Terence Newman get beat down field by Santana Moss, time after time. He had to consoled on the sidelines by his teammates.

Watching Clinton Portis find some running room (121 yards on 21 carries) and ripping off a nice 31 yard scamper.

Chris Cooley; that man can catch a football! He’s awesome.

Shawn Springs and the difference he makes in the secondary.

Chris “The Predator” Horton, along with Greg Blache that designed the play, running underneath the pass pattern for the only interception of the game. What a great story he is.

The offensive line met a formidable foe in the front four of the Cowboys defense. They gave up two sacks, but it could have been a much longer day. Well done.

Seeing Jon Jansen play again. He’s the best back up tackle in the league.

Jim Zorn. His arrival as a head coach may not have come as early as he would have liked, but from a Redskins perspective, it was right on time.

Things That Made Me Cringe -

Casey Rabach. Seriously?!?! Two nullifed touchdowns in a row on the same drive. What’s up with that?

Hail to the Redskins!

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Both teams showed their defensive strength early in the game. It was nothing short of an NFC East knock down fight with the Redskins emerging victorious.

1st Quarter -

Redskins first drive stalls after a false start penalty by Lorenzo Alexander, follwed by a dropped pass by Santana Moss. Cowboys first drive begins at their 10-yard line with a couple of first downs before they are forced to punt. Both teams continued to show high energy. But, defense set the tone.

On the Redskins third possession, the Cowboys entire defensive line met at the quarterback, Jason Campbell, for the second sack of the game. On the Cowboys ensuing drive, Patrick Crayton catches a long ball against Carlos Rogers to drive deep into the Redskins territory. On a subsequent play, Carlos Rogers is called for holding, which gave the Cowboys another set of downs. On the very next play, Tony Romo connects with Jason Witten for a touchdown down the middle over Marcus Washington.

Score: Cowboys, 0-7

2nd Quarter -

Redskins drive deep into the Cowboys territory. They finish the drive with a touchdown pass from Jason Campbell to James Thrash to tie the game.

After a short series and punt by the Cowboys, the Redskins drive inside the Cowboys five-yard line. On third-and-goal, Jason Campbell avoids the pass rush and throws a touchdown to Antwaan Randle-El to take the lead.

After another three-and-out series by the Cowboys, the Redskins open up their series with a long pass completion to Santana Moss from Jason Campbell placing the Redskins inside the Cowboys ten-yard line. On third-and-goal from the two-yard line, fail to convert and settle for a field-goal.

With under two minutes left in the first half of the game, the Cowboys drive the length of the field for a field-goal with five seconds remaining.

Score: Redskins, 17-10

3rd Quarter -

The Dallas Cowboys tie the game on their first series of the second half with a quick slant to Terrell Owens from Tony Romo.

On the Redskins next series, Clinton Portis rips a 31-yard run on third-down and two in order to keep the drive alive. After another big catch by Santana Moss, take the ball to the Cowboys 6-yard line. A touchdown run by Portis is negated by Casey Rabach, which put the Redskins all the way back to the 16-yard line. On third and goal, a touchdown pass by Jason Campbell is negated, once again by Casey Rabach. On third and goal, the Redskins fail to convert. They barely make the field goal.

The third quarter finishes with a nice interception by Chris “The Predator” Horton to give the ball back to the Redskins.

Score: Redskins, 20-17

4th Quarter -

Chris Cooley has two key catches to keep the Redskins drive alive. On third and four, at the Cowboys 15 yard line, Santana Moss can’t hold on to the rocket pass from Jason Campbell. Redskins kick a field goal to extend their lead.

After another strong defensive stand and subsequent punt by Dallas, the Redskins advance the ball down the field on the back of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. On third and two from the Cowboys 19 yard line, Ladell Betts gets another first down for the Redskins with less than five minutes left in the game.

After taking seven minutes off the clock, the Redskins extend their lead with a field goal by Shaun Suisham.

Cowboys take the ball at their 14 yard line and drive the length of the field for a touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin. The Cowboys were unable to convert an onside kick. The Redskins kneel to run out the clock.

Score: Redskins, 26-24

Wrap-Up:

• Jason Campbell was 20/31 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. His QB rating was 108.4
• Clinton Portis rushed for 121 yards on 21 carries; almost six yards per carry.
• Santana Moss was the leading WR of the game. He had eight catches for 145 yards, but no touchdowns.
• Shaun Suisham was 4/4 on field goals. His longest was from 33 yards out.
• Durant Brooks punted very well. His average was over 46 yards, which includes a 60 yarder, and two punts inside the 20.
• Carlos Rogers led the team in tackles. The Redskins scored no sacks against Tony Romo.
• London Fletcher forced one fumble.

NFL.com Game Center Post Game is attached.

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