Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley fumbled and the Giants had a chance to grab momentum in the third quarter when the ball found its way into the hands of safety Will Hill.
Or so they thought. Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka was penalized for roughing Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on the play, handing the Cowboys 15 yards and negating the turnover that would have given the Giants the ball down a score. It was the kind of hit that launches a million angry tweets about the state of the game of football, similar to 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks’ hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last week, but it’s a call we should all be accustomed to seeing at this point.
Coach Tom Coughlin threw his challenge flag for some reason at the end of the play, but there was nothing to challenge and the Cowboys would hold onto the ball. The Giants weren’t charged a timeout, but they should have been according to former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Periera.
The same goes for safeties drilling running backs once they are out of bounds, something Antrel Rolle did to DeMarco Murray one snap later to set the Cowboys up inside the six-yard line. Romo found Jason Witten for a touchdown and the Cowboys now lead 21-6 at the Meadowlands.