• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Giants host injury-plagued Cowboys in NFC East showdown

Nov 2, 2008 - 2:04 PM DALLAS (5-3) AT NY GIANTS (6-1), 4:15 pm EST

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The Dallas Cowboys have been plagued by a host of injuries and a minor quarterback controversy halfway into this season. The New York Giants, on the other hand, are healthy and rolling behind Eli Manning.

The Cowboys hope to gain ground on Manning and the Super Bowl champs when the NFC East rivals square off Sunday at Giants Stadium.

A preseason favorite to win the division, Dallas (5-3) has endured a roller-coaster campaign riddled by injuries to key players, including Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo and cornerback Terence Newman.

Romo fractured the pinkie finger on his throwing hand in an overtime loss at Arizona on October 12 and has missed the last two games despite constant speculation that he might play.

Romo, who likely will miss Sunday's game, has been replaced by 40-year-old Brad Johnson, who has struggled in leading the Cowboys to a 1-1 record over their last two games.

Following an embarrassing 34-14 loss at St. Louis on October 19, the Cowboys held on for a crucial 13-9 triumph over Tampa Bay in Dallas last weekend.

Johnson, who was ineffective for the majority of the contest, threw a 2-yard touchdown to Roy Williams just before halftime, and Dallas' maligned defense made a late stand to preserve the win.

"Our defense certainly stepped up today," said Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, who took a more active role in the defensive play-calling. "I think they were frustrated that we haven't won in the last two weeks. Somebody asked me if this was a must win, but I think that all of them are must wins at this point."

The nine points were the lowest single-game total allowed by the Cowboys since a 34-3 win over the New York Jets last November - a stretch of 13 games.

One week after allowing Rams running back Steven Jackson to run for 160 yards and three touchdowns, the Cowboys held the Buccaneers to just 49 yards on the ground.

But despite the strong defensive effort, the Cowboys clearly are unsatisfied with the performance of Johnson, who has failed to capitalize on Dallas' big-play receiving duo of Williams and Terrell Owens.

In two games with Johnson under center, Williams and Owens have combined for just 74 yards on nine catches - an average of just over eight yards per reception.

But with Romo sidelined, Phillips said he is hesitant to replace the experienced Johnson with third-stringer Brooks Bollinger.

"I don't think (a quarterback change) is something to consider," Phillips said Monday. "(Johnson) won. He's been playing and he's the guy that's had all the work, so I think that's where we are."

Aside from the injury to Romo, the Cowboys already have been forced to play without Newman (groin), who will miss at least two more weeks, rookie running back Felix Jones (hamstring), linebacker Anthony Spencer (hamstring), punter Mat McBriar (foot), safety Roy Williams (forearm) and guard Kyle Kosier (foot).

Dallas also could be without Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, who was diagnosed with a cracked rib, and cornerback Anthony Henry, who suffered a slight quadriceps tear against the Bucs. Both players are questionable for Sunday.

While the Cowboys have had to deal with a bevy of distractions, the Giants have established themselves as one of the top teams in the NFL.

New York is riding high following last weekend's 21-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, a contest in which the Giants rallied for 12 unanswered fourth-quarter points.

Manning threw a 2-yard TD pass to tight end Kevin Boss with just over three minutes remaining to cap the comeback for the Giants, who recorded five sacks and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger four times.

It was the second straight win for New York (6-1), which owns a one-half game lead over Washington (6-2) in the competitive NFC East.

"We hung in there tough, and that's what I am most proud of," Manning said. "There are things obviously that we can work on and fix, but guys stepped up and we just hung in there tough and found a way to win."

The Giants rank third in the NFL in both total offense and total defense and have recorded a league-leading 26 sacks.

Dallas won both regular-season meetings with the Giants last season, including a 31-20 triumph in the Meadowlands last November 11. But the Giants upset the Cowboys in Dallas, 21-17, in the NFC divisional round this past January.