Giants have hope as Cowboys ride Starship Cooper
Giants’ long-shot division dream gets boost from Cooper & Co.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s wish is looking less ridiculous by the day.
The Giants got a step closer to contention — if not exactly to a playoff spot — as the Cowboys took down the Redskins, 31-23, in an NFC East Thanksgiving matchup in Arlington, Texas, that will have major ramifications on the division race.
Amari Cooper had a 90-yard touchdown catch while finishing with 180 yards receiving and two scores, and the Cowboys pulled even with Washington atop the East, with both teams at a mediocre 6-5.
“Everyone jumped off the bandwagon, of course, at 3-5,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “You expect that. I can tell you who didn’t doubt ourselves. As long as we locked arms, we stayed tight, we knew we could do this and we can do more. That’s the only thing that matters to us.”
The Giants, after starting the season 1-7, have won their past two games to get to 3-7, and with a win Sunday over East rival Philadelphia, they could move to within two games of the lead in a division that suddenly looks up for grabs.
It was just three weeks ago that Beckham declared he expected the Giants to win out and make the playoffs — a proposition that seemed laughable after Beckham and Co. had dropped all but one of their first eight contests.
“When I said it, I heard a lot of chuckles and all that stuff,” Beckham said last week before the Giants’ second consecutive victory. “But it’s only crazy until you do it. That’s just the way it is. One down. We got seven left.” Now it’s six — and with a little help from their rival Cowboys on Thursday, the Giants are as alive as they have been this season.
Cooper had the most yards receiving for the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, along with the longest catch of his career and Prescott’s longest completion in his three seasons. Cooper’s other TD was a 40-yarder.
“I’ve been putting in extra time with my coaches, with Dak,” Cooper said. “For some reason, since I’ve been here, the chemistry with Dak has phenomenal.”
Ezekiel Elliott ran for 121 yards with a score as the Cowboys won their third straight game since their first home loss, to Tennessee in the Dallas debut of Cooper following a trade. Dallas beat Washington for the eighth time in nine Thanksgiving games and second in three seasons.
After starting the season 1-7, with a win on Sunday the Giants would be within just two games of the division lead — thanks to a pair of long touchdown catches by new Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper that helped propel Dallas to a 31-23 win over the Redskins.