Dallas season ends after some questionable decisions against NYG

The last significant pitch in the cold and rain of MetLife Stadium finally ended the season for the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.

Dallas was playing for a playoff berth, a position he didn’t deserve but was eligible for due to poverty at NFC East in 2020.

Quarterback Andy Dalton, playing with a bloody left hand covered in a glove, was trying to dodge a sack late in the fourth quarter against the Giants. But Dalton’s pass, on a third and Giants 17 goal, was intercepted by Xavier McKinney in the end zone.

And with that, the slim playoff hopes for the Cowboys ended in a 23-19 loss to the Giants. The season is over now. The Cowboys will be worried about the NFL Draft, instead of a possible home playoff game. It was a bad start for the Cowboys on Sunday and a frenzied finish. The Giants will now wait for Sunday night’s clash between Washington and Philadelphia to decide if they make the playoffs.

Here are five takeaways from the Cowboys-Giants:

No challenge by McCarthy

You can go back and watch multiple games in an NFL game and think these decided it. But Dante Pettis’ 10-yard reception on a third and 16 midway through the fourth quarter allowed Giants kicker Graham Gano to score a 50-yard field goal.

The question is whether Pettis took a dive. It looks like Pettis trapped the ball, but the referees ruled it was a catch on the pitch. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy did not contest the play. He continued to watch the videotape and just watched the opportunity pass. In a season of betting by McCarthy, particularly on fake punts, this was a situation he should have played in.

Gano made the basket with 6:27 left, forcing the Cowboys to need a touchdown on their final drive. McCarthy’s inaction hurt his team.

The fumble that was … or not?

As the Giants ran out of time, running back Walter Gallman Jr. broke away from linebacker Jaylon Smith for a big win. But Gallman searched the ball in wet weather and a wild scene occurred. The bodies were all over the place and Gallman was found to have recovered the fumble. Or did he do it?

A replay showed him sitting on the loose ball. Another recovery showed him with the ball in his arms as he lay on the floor. The Cowboys swore they got the ball back and referees at various points awarded possession to both sides before deciding the ball belonged to New York.

It seemed like the refs got this one right. Do they have?

Kellen Moore stays

On Saturday night, the Cowboys signed offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for a three-year contract extension. After the bad first half of his attack, there were questions about why Dallas would do it. But Moore redeemed himself in the second half as the Cowboys offense resumed play.

Keeping Moore is another example of the value of the Cowboys front office, including coach Mike McCarthy. The future looks bright with Moore if some of the offensive pieces – Dak Prescott, La’el Collins, Blake Jarwin and Tyron Smith – can return in 2021 from injuries.

“I think the obvious continuity, consistency and just the ability to really grow and that’s all along,” McCarthy said on 105.3 The Fan. [KRLD-FM] before the match.

“Grow with him as a play call and develop this attacking system that we have put in place and get all of our players back to good health and build on what we are accomplishing for the next two weeks here for this season. We got off to a good start and we have a very good base in attack and we just want to keep building.

Turnover

In the last four games, the Cowboys defense has converted 12 takeaways into 57 points. Donovan Wilson had an interception and Chidobe Awuzie recovered from a fumble in Sunday’s game.

It’s amazing how differently this team played when they forced turnovers. One of the biggest things the Cowboys worry about when drafting or signing free agency players is making sure they have playmakers. Do the Cowboys now have them on defense? Clearly Wilson – he had a pick and a sack on Sunday – and rookie corner Trevon Diggs, with three picks this season, have played well. In the future, worrying about creating sales is something that shouldn’t be a concern.

A first half to forget

In the first half, the Cowboys acted like they had nothing to play. They went 1-7 on the third downs. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 27 yards and left the game with an apparent leg injury. Andy Dalton has been sacked three times and has played like he’s still on the sad Bengals.

And, yes, the Cowboys had five penalties for 48 yards, including a bad one against cornerback Jourdan Lewis who hit a tight Giants end to the chin behind a play and a false start on guard Connor McGovern as the Cowboys were trying to hit the ball before half-time. Linebacker Jaylon Smith was flagged for holding while interrupting a passing game and immediately started celebrating, believing he wasn’t penalized.

Dallas was trailing 20-9 at the break.

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