New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys analysis: Studs and Duds

Deep breath. Exhale.

The New York Giants rarely make it easy on themselves, but almost always find a way to win. Even after blowing a 23-0 lead, the Giants somehow escaped Texas with a 29-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys to move to 6-2 and 2-2 in the NFC East.

The Cowboys thought they took the lead with 10 seconds left on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant, but the play was correctly overturned when replay showed Bryant's hand touched out of bounds first -- by a matter of inches. Such a fine line separated the teams from victory and defeat, and allowed the Giants to fly home having split the season series with the Cowboys, and enjoy a cushion in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins also losing.

STUDS

Stevie Brown: He's been excellent filling in for injured strong safety Kenny Phillips. Brown's two interceptions gives him four picks in six games. He also recovered Felix Jones' fumble with 6:40 remaining in the game, which led to a Giants field goal for the eventual margin of victory. Brown's eight tackles led all Giant players.

Jason Pierre-Paul: Took an interception of Romo 28 yards for a score in the second quarter, and contributed with four tackles and a sack.

Lawrence Tynes: 5-for-5 on field goals with a long of 43 yards, and two of two on extra point conversions.

Jason Witten: Flat-out sensational with a whopping 18 catches for 167 yards.

Tony Romo: Threw for 467 yards and nearly led the Cowboys to a remarkable come-from-behind victory.

DUDS
Tony Romo: Romo was awful in the first half, which had some speculation whether he'd be benched for backup Kyle Orton. Though he found his groove in the second half, Romo threw four interceptions and had those 467 passing yards completing 36 of 62 pass attempts.

Felix Jones: The Cowboys running game suffered in the absence of the injured DeMarco Murray as Jones -- besides that costly fumble -- managed 19 yards on 13 carries.

Eli Manning: Threw for just 192 yards on 15 of 19 passing with an interception while looking out of sync all game.

Prince Amukamara: Last season's first-round pick still has a lot to prove. The Prince was burned often by Miles Austin's 133 receiving yards on nine catches.

TURNING POINT
The Cowboys were again moving the ball and poised to pad their lead before Jones' fourth-quarter fumble. Instead of the Giants needing a touchdown to regain the lead, New York converted the turnover into a field goal that forced the Cowboys to go for six points. The Pokes failed -- barely -- on their final two drives.

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