Giants can't stop Cowboys in season opener

It was a disappointing start to the season in New York last night as Jerry Jones' team whupped the Giants.

After the big ceremony before the game, both teams had the Opening Kickoff jitters as neither team could get any offense going in the first half. Early in the second quarter, Michael Boley picked off Tony Romo and ran it back all the way to the Cowboys’ goal line but the Giants offense couldn’t stick it in, as Ahmad Bradshaw was stuffed twice and Eli threw an incomplete pass on 3rd down. Victor Cruz had a frustrating game, dropping three catches and committing two costly penalties.

But it was the Giants defense in the second half that really cost the game. Starting with the final drive of the first half, Tony Romo led four impressive scoring drives for all 24 Cowboy points. The secondary got eaten alive. Corey Webster got beat routinely, and after an impressive Michael Coe left with a hamstring injury, his replacement Justin Tryon was targeted nearly every time. The real killer came when the Cowboys were facing 1st and 30 and Romo found Miles Austin for a 34 yard touchdown that put the Giants down by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. And then late as the Giants were hoping to give Eli Manning one last opportunity, Romo completed a pass to Kevin Ogletree for 13 yards on 3rd and 10 to seal the deal.

DeMarco Murray showed why he could be one of the league’s best running backs, gaining 131 yards on 20 attempts. He displayed good speed, toughness, and a knack for hitting the hole for a big play. In the third quarter he broke free from would-be-tackler Justin Tuck to turn a big loss into a 48 yard gain that set up Dan Bailey’s field goal. Kevin Ogletree was the surprise star for the Cowboys, hauling in 8 catches for a game-high 114 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career. But the real hero was Tony Romo, who made all the big plays. I kept waiting for him to goof up but he didn’t. He completed 22 of 29 passes (76%) for 307 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an impressive 129.5 quarterback rating and did everything right in the second half. He even scrambled for a first down.

The biggest relief in the game was the officiating, which was surprisingly reasonable. There were no major gaffes, no significant delays, and the replacement refs did a good job calling the game.

Both teams have some extra rest before their next game September 16. The GMen host the Buccaneers and the Cowboys fly cross-country to play the Seahawks in Seattle.

You hope they get the win, but there is no need for Giants fans to overreact to the 0-1 start. New York began 2011 with a loss. How did that affect their season?