If a picture paints a thousand words … well, you've got about a million right there. This picture of failure was taken just after Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey failed to make a potential game-saving field goal for the second straight, after being iced for the second straight week. Difference as, the icing came from the opposing coach this time, as New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin put the freeze on Bailey with one second left in what became a 37-34 victory for a Giants team that desperately needed it.
This time, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul blocked the second Bailey kick, and that took the Giants to 7-6, with the tiebreaker edge over the Cowboys in the NFC East.
You may remember that last Sunday, Garrett mauled the two-minute drill and wound up calling a time out just as Bailey made what should have been a 49-yard game-winner. Given another chance, Bailey failed to repeat the performance. The Cardinals scored a touchdown in overtime, and that was another mirror of the Giants loss — a late defensive breakdown.
Rob Ryan's Cowboys defense allowed two touchdowns and a two-point conversion to the Giants in the last 3:14 of the game — actually, that period of time took the game down to about a minute, and that's when Garrett struggled with his timeouts. Again.
Tony Romo engineered an impressive drive in the last minute of the game when the Cowboys finally got their clock management together, but it was not enough. Jones was most definitely unhappy in-game; there was a very clear shot of the team's owner in his luxury box, exhorting Garrett to call a time out so that the Cowboys would have more time to engineer a comeback.
Jones had a short statement for reporters after the game: "Hats off to the Giants. They didn't quit. They were able to come back and played well and got the win. We are disappointed, and we certainly know we have our work cut out for us."
That's for sure. Step 1 may be to rehearse the two-minute drill — and those seemingly necessary second field goals - in practice. The good news for the Cowboys, if there is any right now, is that they get another shot at the Giants. The two teams face off again in the regular-season finale on January 1.
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Shutdown Corner is an NFL blog edited by Doug Farrar. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.
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