Monday, November 25, 1996

Giants beat Cowboys, 20-6

By STEPHEN A. SMITH / Knight-Ridder Newspapers (Nov. 25, 1996)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The last thing the Eagles need looming right now is another tough NFC East matchup.

Judging by the Giants' stunning upset of the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, that's exactly what awaits them Sunday at the Vet.

Inspired by the 10th-anniversary reunion of their 1986 Super Bowl champions and lifted by a stingy defense that forced three pivotal fumbles, the Giants defeated the Cowboys, 20-6, in front of 77,081 raucous fans at the Meadowlands.

The lost dropped the Cowboys to 7-5, kept them tied with the Eagles a game behind the Washington Redskins, and further dampened their hopes of again winning the NFC East.

"Well, I knew it would happen all along," joked Giants coach Dan Reeves. "I said early in the week that you always have a chance if you play as hard as you can possibly play, and if the other team cooperates."

Cooperation certainly was in the Cowboys' vocabulary yesterday.

Less than a week after failing to score a touchdown in its Monday night win over Green Bay, Dallas failed to score a TD again. And it bobbled its two best chances of putting the ball in the end zone.

The Cowboys were held to just 33 yards rushing for the game, with Emmitt Smith getting just 18 yards on 11 carries.

Wideout Michael Irvin had six receptions for 77 yards but stymied a Dallas drive with a fumble, forced by Corey Widmer, that Tito Wooten returned for a TD that put the Giants up, 13-3, with 1 minute, 53 seconds left in the half.

Later, the Cowboys had a chance to score when Troy Aikman found Deion Sanders for a 41-yard pass. But Sanders, heading into the end zone to do his dance step, was stripped from behind by cornerback Phillippi Sparks at the 10-yard line. The Giants' Jesse Campbell recovered.

Aikman (28 for 39, 280 yards) couldn't get anyone to hold onto the ball all afternoon.

"They just played a great game," Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said.

A 37-yard field goal by Chris Boniol pulled Dallas within 13-6 in their first drive of the fourth, but the Giants drove 57 yards in 10 plays on the ensuing drive when quarterback Dave Brown (12 of 18, 110 yards) spotted Brian Kozlowski on a 4-yard toss for a 20-6 lead with 6:01 remaining.

It still wasn't over until Aikman drove Dallas downfield again, only to watch helplessly as Daryl Johnston fumbled his pass reception away at the Giants' 47-yard line with 5:09 left.

"The defense did a great job with the turnovers, and also with forcing them into passing situations by stopping their run," said Reeves. "It was just a great team effort. I don't know if anything really stood out other than us keeping our turnovers down and forcing them into theirs. It's just a great win for us."

Especially Reeves.

In a town that watches the hapless Jets of Rich Kotite suffer through a 1-11 season, Reeves has been the unfortunate recipient of speculation about his job. With every loss for the Giants (5-7), the rumors grow. Reeves said he wouldn't mind if they stopped for just one week.

"If I don't see in the paper or on TV this week that I'm gone next year, this win will be very nice," Reeves said. "It'll be nice to go through a week where you don't wake up and your wife is crying or your kids and people that love don't have to see those things. That way, I can concentrate on next week. There's a tough game waiting for us (in Philadelphia)."

If yesterday was any indication, it shouldn't be too tough. Probably ignited by the presence of former stars like Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, two Super Bowl linebackers from the '86 team, the Giants' defense terrorized Dallas all day.

Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, seldom at a loss for words, was nearly speechless, saying simply that the Giants were a tough bunch.

"Cowboys this, Cowboys that," said Giants defensive tackle Keith Hamilton. "You get tired of hearing that. ... It feels so good. And I don't want to say anything bad, but let me add this: We've got something for Ricky (Watters) next week, too."

(c) 1996, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.