The Cowboys have played the kind of defense they were hoping, except for two plays.
But thanks to the second one, and their own miscues on offense, they lead the Giants 13-10 at halftime instead of enjoying a much bigger margin. And now they have to worry about their quarterback, after Tony Romo was sandwiched just before the half and had to come out of the game for a play.
The Giants have 179 yards at halftime, and 127 of them came on two snaps, an early 57-yard catch-and-run by Hakeem Nicks and then a 70-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz.
Otherwise, the Giants have been kind of a mess, with three turnovers and just 25 rushing yards.
The fact that the Cowboys haven’t been able to pad that lead feels like an omen, because they’ve largely dominated the first half. And if Romo has to miss any time, they’re staking their hopes to Kyle Orton, the only other quarterback on the roster.