ARLINGTON, Texas – What an incredible back-and-forth game we just witnessed.
In a game like this, there are probably a lot of huge plays that we might have forgotten, but let's try to find some of the hidden ones that played a part in this wild win.
Hudson's penalties on the first drive – Take your pick on the penalty by James Hudson on the Giants' opening drive of the game. He was flagged for four penalties that kept pushing their offense back. The biggest was probably a post-play personal foul on Hudson that moved their offense from the Cowboys' 2-yard line to the 17. The Giants had to settle for a field goal, but not before another false start on Hudson, who was benched after that drive.
Turpin catch and penalty – After getting the ball on a turnover on downs early in the third quarter, the Cowboys faced a second-and-12 at their own 20-yard line. Not only did Dak Prescott find KaVontae Turpin on a 12-yard pass for a first down, but the Giants were also flagged for a personal foul on Bobby Okereke for a late hit on Prescott. In one play, the Cowboys advanced to the 47-yard line and eventually took the lead on a touchdown run by Javonte Williams.
Pickens' quick TD catch – Ok, this one could go either way. With 56 seconds left in the game and the Cowboys down three, should they have thrown the ball on second down for a touchdown to Pickens? It worked, and he scored the go-ahead TD, but it left the Giants too much time. Or did it? You can argue that maybe the Cowboys could've worked the clock and then tried to score, leaving the Giants with no time left. But say they score a touchdown with about 30 seconds remaining. Maybe the Giants and their red-hot offense go down and score like they did and win the game with no time on the clock. Perhaps the touchdown to Pickens with that much time left gave the Cowboys enough time on their next possession to tie the game. Either way, without that Pickens touchdown, we probably don't have the craziest game we've seen in a long time.
Ferguson for 18 yards in regulation – We're all going to remember the two long field goals to end regulation and overtime, but without an 18-yard pass over the middle to tight end Jake Ferguson, there's no way the Cowboys can even tie the game. Down 37-34 with 14 seconds left, Prescott hit Ferguson at the 50 for a huge play. After a short run by Williams, Brandon Aubrey drilled a 64-yard field goal to tie the game and force overtime.
Russell's backward fumble – Not only was it a crazy play in general, but the way Russell Wilson was throwing the ball deep, the last play you expected was him to throw it backward. On the Giants' first possession in overtime, with a chance to get a field goal and win the game, he was hit and threw the ball backward in an odd play that possibly could've been called a pass, except it went backward. So the 14-yard loss made it third-and-17, and the Giants had to punt, wasting what appeared to be their best chance to win it.
Bonus: Prescott's scramble in OT – Since the game went a full extra quarter, let's get another play in here. Just like Ferguson set up Aubrey's kick to force overtime, it was Prescott's scramble up the middle for 14 yards to the Giants' 28 that helped win this game. Sure, Aubrey could've tried another 60-plus-yard field goal to win it but getting him inside the 50 was much better. The middle of the field was wide open, and Prescott did a great job of hitting the hole and taking off for the run. On the next play, Aubrey hit the game-winner to send everyone home.
