Giants 31, Cowboys 14
Victor Cruz continued his penchant for the big play with a 74-yard touchdown reception and 178 receiving yards as the New York Giants clinched the NFC East Division title with a 31-14 victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
New York completely dominated play in the first half and took a 21-0 lead into the break en route to setting up a playoff matchup with the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.
Eli Manning threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns as New York completed the season with a 9-7 record to earn the No. 4 seed.
Dallas (8-8) lost four of its final five games to miss the playoffs for the second straight season.
Manning got things started with a short pass to Cruz and the record-setting Giant receiver outraced a pair of defenders 74 yards to give New York a lead it never relinquished.
The Giants then got a pair of Ahmad Bradshaw touchdowns to take control. Bradshaw capped a 10-play drive with a 5-yard run to make it 14-0 and later scored on a 10-yard pass from Manning late in the first half.
The Giants outgained the Cowboys 277-96 in the first half.
Things turned around in the second half and the Cowboys got back into it. Tony Romo, who didn’t seem bothered by an injured right hand that kept him out of practice most of the week, led the comeback.
Romo threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Laurent Robinson to cut the deficit to 21-7. The duo combined again on a 6-yard pass to make it 21-14 with 10:15 to play in the fourth quarter.
But Manning hooked up with Cruz on a 43-yard pass on the Giants’ next possession to set up a 28-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes to put New York in control again 24-14.
The Giants put the game out of reach when Manning connected with Hakeem Nicks on a 4-yard touchdown pass.