Dallas Cowboys v New York Giants
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

The New York Giants disappointing 2018 season came to a painful end when they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, 36-35.

Geoff Magliocchetti

  • Dallas Cowboys 36 (10-6)
  • New York Giants 35 (5-11)
  • NFL, Final, box score
  • MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY—The New York Giants 2018 season came to a heartbreaking end after they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys 36-35 Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Big Blue played with heart by overcoming a 14-0 deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, but the defense couldn’t nail it down. The Cowboys scored a touchdown with 1:12 remaining and then converted on the game winning two-point conversion.

The day started out promising for the Giants as they took the opening drive of the game and marched down to the Cowboys six-yard line on just four plays. But then Eli Manning threw a pass in the end zone that was intended for Sterling Shepard, but was intercepted by Chidobe Awuzie for a touchback.

The Cowboys scored the first points of the game midway through the second quarter on a Dak Prescott 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Blake Jarwin.

Prescott and Jarwin would hook up for another score on the Cowboys next possession, this time from 19 yards out to put the Cowboys up 14-0.

Big Blue would respond on their next possession driving 73 yards on 10 plays culminating on Eli Manning 21-yard touchdown to Cody Latimer to close out the scoring in the first half.

The Giants would cut the deficit to 14-10 on their first possession of the second half on a Aldrick Rosas 48-yard field goal.

Dallas would regain the momentum of the game on their next possession as Prescott and Jarwin hooked for the third time on a 39-yard touchdown reception to put them up 21-10.

With the game on the verge of getting out of reach, New York scored on their next possession Manning six-yard touchdown to Evan Engram. Engram then converted on a two-point conversion to cut the score to 21-18 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Giants would take their first lead of the game 25-21 with 10:38 remaining in the game on a Wayne Gallman two-yard touchdown run.

But the lead would only last just over a minute as the Cowboys drove 75 yards on just five plays culminated in a Rod Smith one-yard touchdown run to put them back in front 28-25 with 9:11 remaining in the game.

New York would retake the lead 32-28 following a 12 play 74-yard drive that ended in a Saquon Barkley two yard touchdown leap. With the touchdown, Barkley set a franchise record for most rushing touchdowns by a rookie with 11.

Big Blue would extend their lead to 35-28 with 2:35 remaining on Rosas second field goal of the day, this time from 38 yards away.

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But, unfortunately, as we saw throughout the course of the season, no lead was safe as the defense failed to make a stop on the Cowboys last drive. On a 4th-and-15 from the Giants 32-yard line, Prescott threw a touchdown to Cole Beasley in the back of the end zone.

Then, the Cowboys converted a two-point conversion on a Prescott pass to Michael Gallup to put them ahead 36-35 with 1:12 remaining.

The Giants got the ball back at the 48 yard line after Latimer’s kickoff return, but Manning threw four straight incompletions to end the game.

The loss dropped the Giants to 5-11 on the season and with many questions lingering such as, “Will Eli Manning be back in 2019?”

But the day was not all bad for the Giants. With 142 all-purpose yards, Saquon Barkley joined Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James as the only rookie running backs to amass 2,000 all-purpose yards.

In addition with his four receptions, he set a record for most receptions by a rookie running back with 91.

 NEXT: History Says Giants Either Win The Super Bowl In 2019 Or Shurmur Is Fired 

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Jason Leach
https://elitesportsny.com
Jason's first love was football while growing up in northern New Jersey. For the past three years, he has covered the New York Giants, as well as several boxing events along the East Coast.

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