Prescott throws 4TDs, Cowboys rally
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
— Don’t tell Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys their regular-season finale against the New York Giants was a meaningless game.
They played it to the end and got momentum for the playoffs, in which they will host Seattle next weekend.
Prescott threw a 32-yard fourth-down touchdown pass to Cole Beasley on a play that was reversed by video replay and added a winning 2-point conversion pass to Michael Gallup with 1:12 to play as the NFC East champion Cowboys rallied twice in the final 10 minutes to beat the New York Giants 36-35 on Sunday.
“You saw it out there, the intensity that we played with, the ups and the downs and how we stayed through it,” Prescott said after going 27 of 44 for 387 yards and a season-high four touchdowns, three to former Oklahoma State standout Blake Jarwin. “We stayed positive, knowing we were going to give ourselves a chance to come out on the end. It was a great win.”
The win was the seventh in eight games for the Cowboys and it has them looking forward to next weekend’s wildcard game at home.
Dallas coach Jason Garrett downplayed the meaningless angle, even though he rested NFL
leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott and two of his top offensive linemen.
“That might be for people outside our building, talking about the meaningful or meaningless nature of a game,” Garrett said. “They’re all very meaningful to us. It’s opportunity for us to improve as a football team, to finish strong, to have some momentum going into the playoffs.”
For the Giants (5-11), it was another late loss. They lost eight games by seven points or less in Pat Shurmur’s first season, the last two by a total of two points.
This also could have been quarterback Eli Manning’s final start for them after a 15-year career. He has a year left on a four-year contract but his salary will count $23 million against the cap next season.
The soon-to-be 38 year old who is not very mobile still loves to play, but New York has made the playoffs once since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012.
“The losses hurt and they are tough to deal with,” said Manning who went 24 of 41 for 301 yards and two touchdowns. “They are tougher now than in the past because you know your opportunities are running low to make playoffs and championship runs. When you are not doing as well as you want to, it is tough to handle.”
Saquon Barkley capped a record-setting rookie season with a sensational 2-yard touchdown dive with 3:21 to play to put the Giants ahead 35-28
However, Prescott engineered a nine-play, 70-yard drive that he ended with an arching pass to Beasley in the back of the end zone. There was no doubt he caught the ball, and a review showed he got his knee down in bounds.