The New York Giants and the New York Jets may share a home, but there’s no brotherly love between the two teams. The G-men battle Fireman Ed and Co. on a Saturday night game that will have a huge impact on whether either team makes it into the playoffs.

The Giants (7-7) battle the Jets (8-6) at the Meadowlands at 1 p.m. on FOX for an afternoon Christmas Eve showdown. The Giants desperately need a win to take over the Dallas Cowboys (8-6) who currently sit atop the NFC East. The Jets are also second in their division to one of the most-winning teams in the NFL, the New England Patriots (11-3).

If the Jets stand any chance of making it to the playoffs, they’ll need to sneak into a wildcard game by winning a large majority of their remaining games. Though the crosstown game is big for the Giants, the Dallas Cowboys have failed to clinch a playoff seed so far. That means that the game is a little less dire for the Giants.

Both teams face are battling injuries on their roster and will need second-line teammates to step up. The Jets offense is banged up. Jets players Plaxico Burress (WR), Santonio Holmes (WR), Mark Sanchez (QB), Shonn Greene (RB)  are all listed as probably for the game and are forced to shake off a variety of injuries.

The Giants face less injuries, but more serious ones. Giants’ players Osi Umenyiora (DE) has been out for several weeks, which has weakened the defensive pressure the Giants have been able to put on their opponents. In addition to Umenyiora’s absence, Mario Manningham (WR) is listed as doubtful with a knee injury. Two running backs on the team are injured, too. Ahmad Bradshaw, the power back is listed as probably with a foot injury. Danny Ware, the more agile back, is injured with knee issues and is listed as probable.

The showdown in the Meadowlands is sure to be full of fireworks. With these to New York teams on the ropes, they’ll likely pull out all the stops to sneak into the playoffs. If either team makes it, whether they’re actually able to compete is an entirely different story. 

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:
To contact the editor, e-mail:

Just like that, the Giants’ four-game losing streak was done. And the NFC East race is cracked open, with New York reclaiming the inside track.

“We needed to have a locker room celebration,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “We were starving for this.”

New York’s recent skid was filled mostly with narrow losses to division leaders. The Giants (7-6) appeared headed to another setback trailing 34-22 with 5:41 left, but a series of clutch plays on their part and meltdowns by Dallas changed everything. The teams are tied, with the Cowboys headed to the Meadowlands for a season-ending rematch on New Year’s Day.

“We knew what was on the line,” Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. “But those guys made one more play than we did.”

Dallas has gone from winning four straight to losing two in a row, both in dramatic, frustrating fashion that involved missed kicks by rookie Dan Bailey, who’d been so good for so long this season. The Cowboys also lost running back DeMarco Murray to a broken right ankle, ending his record-setting rookie season.

“We certainly know we’ve got our work cut out for us,” team owner Jerry Jones said in a brief statement.

Neither team led by more than five points for most of this back-and-forth game until Tony Romo threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant with no one else around. He strutted into the end zone, putting Dallas up 34-22 with 5:41 left.

Yet instead of that ending the excitement, the fun was just beginning.

Manning — who’d already pulled out five wins in the fourth quarter this season — mounted an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard. The play had to withstand a video review to make sure he really got the ball past the front of the goal line before his knee landed inches shy of the stripe.

New York’s defense followed with a three-and-out, and the Giants got another break when Dallas’ usually reliable punter, Mat McBriar, had a 33-yarder, letting Manning take over at his 42 with 2:12 left.

Two penalties on the Cowboys’ defense helped, as did completions of 21 and 18 yards to Ballard. Brandon Jacobs scored on a 1-yard run with 51 seconds left and D.J. Ware followed with the 2-point conversion.

Romo still had 46 seconds left. He hit Miles Austin for gains of 22 and 23 yards to set up Bailey for a 47-yard field goal that would force overtime. The rookie who’d made four winning kicks, but was coming off a game-losing debacle the previous week, split the uprights — only it didn’t count because Coughlin called a timeout.

On the do-over, Bailey’s kick was clipped by the outstretched arms of Pierre-Paul. He’d been a disruption all night, sacking Romo for a safety early in the game and forcing a fumble in the second quarter.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Never count out Eli Manning and the New York Giants — not in a game, or in the division race.

Down by 12 late in the fourth quarter of a game they had to win for a realistic chance to make the playoffs, the Giants put together two touchdown drives in the final 3:41 and Jean Pierre-Paul preserved it with a blocked field goal for a 37-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Just like that, the Giants’ four-game losing streak was done. And the NFC East race is cracked open, with New York reclaiming the inside track.

“We needed to have a locker room celebration,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “We were starving for this.”

New York’s recent skid was filled mostly with narrow losses to division leaders. The Giants (7-6) appeared headed to another setback trailing 34-22 with 5:41 left, but a series of clutch plays on their part and meltdowns by Dallas changed everything. The teams are tied, with the Cowboys headed to the Meadowlands for a season-ending rematch on New Year’s Day.

“We knew what was on the line,” Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. “But those guys made one more play than we did.”

Dallas has gone from winning four straight to losing two in a row, both in dramatic, frustrating fashion that involved missed kicks by rookie Dan Bailey, who’d been so good for so long this season. The Cowboys also lost running back DeMarco Murray to a broken right ankle, ending his record-setting rookie season.

“We certainly know we’ve got our work cut out for us,” team owner Jerry Jones said in a brief statement.

Neither team led by more than five points for most of this back-and-forth game until Tony Romo threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant with no one else around. He strutted into the end zone, putting Dallas up 34-22 with 5:41 left.

Yet instead of that ending the excitement, the fun was just beginning.

Manning — who’d already pulled out five wins in the fourth quarter this season — mounted an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard. The play had to withstand a video review to make sure he really got the ball past the front of the goal line before his knee landed inches shy of the stripe.

New York’s defense followed with a three-and-out, and the Giants got another break when Dallas’ usually reliable punter, Mat McBriar, had a 33-yarder, letting Manning take over at his 42 with 2:12 left.

Two penalties on the Cowboys’ defense helped, as did completions of 21 and 18 yards to Ballard. Brandon Jacobs scored on a 1-yard run with 51 seconds left and D.J. Ware followed with the 2-point conversion.

Romo still had 46 seconds left. He hit Miles Austin for gains of 22 and 23 yards to set up Bailey for a 47-yard field goal that would force overtime. The rookie who’d made four winning kicks, but was coming off a game-losing debacle the previous week, split the uprights — only it didn’t count because Coughlin called a timeout.

On the do-over, Bailey’s kick was clipped by the outstretched arms of Pierre-Paul. He’d been a disruption all night, sacking Romo for a safety early in the game and forcing a fumble in the second quarter.

“I rushed the center, put my hands up and got the block,” Pierre-Paul said.

Manning was 27 of 47 for 400 yards and two touchdowns. It was his third 400-yard outing this season, and the club racked up 510 yards, its most since having 512 in December 2009.

Jacobs ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Hakeem Nicks had seven catches for 154 yards, including an early 64-yarder. Mario Manningham had two catches for 62 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown reception.

“Guys stepped up and made some big plays,” Manning said. “It won’t mean anything unless we finish the season strong. That’s the mindset. We can’t relax now or feel great about ourselves.”

Romo was 21 of 31 for 321 yards with four touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter.

Laurent Robinson caught four passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, with a 74-yarder. Austin, who’d missed the previous six weeks with a hamstring injury, caught four passes for 63 yards with a touchdown.

Felix Jones ran for 106 yards, and caught six passes for 31 yards. He started the season as Dallas’ featured running back, and will end it that way, too, now that Murray is gone. The rookie got his foot twisted awkwardly at the end of an 8-yard run in the first quarter. He finished his season with 897 yards, with a franchise-record 253 coming in one game.

“This one’s going to hurt, it’s going to sting, but we’ve got to figure out how to do things a little better and play our best game of the season next week,” Romo said. “We need to get a win next week and get back going.”

The Cowboys have lost six straight Sunday night games. They are 0-3 against the Giants at Cowboys Stadium. Romo also continued his trend of winning in November, then slumping in December.

Notes: New York RB Ahmad Bradshaw did not start as punishment for breaking an unspecified team rule. He finished with 12 yards on eight carries, all in the second half. … Romo went over 20,000 yards passing for his career, joining Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach and Danny White as the only Cowboys to do so. … Cowboys C Phil Costa sustained a concussion, pushing rookie Kevin Kowalski into action for the first time. His snaps were OK, but he seemed flummoxed early in the final drive.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS Never count out Eli Manning and the New York Giants — not in a game, or in the division race.

Down by 12 late in the fourth quarter of a game they had to win for a realistic chance to make the playoffs, the Giants put together two touchdown drives in the final 3:41 and Jean Pierre-Paul preserved it with a blocked field goal for a 37-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Just like that, the Giants’ four-game losing streak was done. And the NFC East race is cracked open, with New York reclaiming the inside track.

“We needed to have a locker-room celebration,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “We were starving for this.”

New York’s recent skid was filled mostly with narrow losses to division leaders. The Giants (7-6) appeared headed to another setback trailing 34-22 with 5:41 left, but a series of clutch plays on their part and meltdowns by Dallas changed everything. The teams are tied, with the Cowboys headed to the Meadowlands for a season-ending rematch on New Year’s Day.

“We knew what was on the line,” Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. “But those guys made one more play than we did.”

Dallas has gone from winning four straight to losing two in a row, both in dramatic, frustrating fashion that involved missed kicks by rookie Dan Bailey, who’d been so good for so long this season. The Cowboys also lost running back DeMarco Murray to a broken right ankle, ending his record-setting rookie season.

“We certainly know we’ve got our work cut out for us,” team owner Jerry Jones said in a brief statement.

Neither team led by more than five points for most of this back-and-forth game until Tony Romo threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant with no one else around. He strutted into the end zone, putting Dallas up 34-22 with 5:41 left.

Yet instead of that ending the excitement, the fun was just beginning.

Manning — who’d already pulled out five wins in the fourth quarter this season — mounted an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jake Ballard. The play had to withstand a video review to make sure he really got the ball past the front of the goal-line before his knee landed inches shy of the stripe.

New York’s defence followed with a three-and-out, and the Giants got another break when Dallas’ usually reliable punter, Mat McBriar, had a 33-yarder, letting Manning take over at his 42 with 2:12 left.

Two penalties on the Cowboys’ defence helped, as did completions of 21 and 18 yards to Ballard. Brandon Jacobs scored on a one-yard run with 51 seconds left and D.J. Ware followed with the two-point conversion.

Romo still had 46 seconds left. He hit Miles Austin for gains of 22 and 23 yards to set up Bailey for a 47-yard field goal that would force overtime. The rookie who’d made four winning kicks, but was coming off a game-losing debacle the previous week, split the uprights — only it didn’t count because Coughlin called a timeout.

On the do-over, Bailey’s kick was clipped by the outstretched arms of Pierre-Paul. He’d been a disruption all night, sacking Romo for a safety early in the game and forcing a fumble in the second quarter.

“I rushed the centre, put my hands up and got the block,” Pierre-Paul said.

Manning was 27 of 47 for 400 yards and two touchdowns. It was his third 400-yard outing this season, and the club racked up 510 yards, its most since having 512 in December 2009.

Jacobs ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Hakeem Nicks had seven catches for 154 yards, including an early 64-yarder. Mario Manningham had two catches for 62 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown reception.

“Guys stepped up and made some big plays,” Manning said. “It won’t mean anything unless we finish the season strong. That’s the mindset. We can’t relax now or feel great about ourselves.”

Romo was 21 of 31 for 321 yards with four touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter.

Laurent Robinson caught four passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, with a 74-yarder. Austin, who’d missed the previous six weeks with a hamstring injury, caught four passes for 63 yards with a touchdown.

Felix Jones ran for 106 yards, and caught six passes for 31 yards. He started the season as Dallas’ featured running back, and will end it that way, too, now that Murray is gone. The rookie got his foot twisted awkwardly at the end of an eight-yard run in the first quarter. He finished his season with 897 yards, with a franchise-record 253 coming in one game.

“This one’s going to hurt, it’s going to sting, but we’ve got to figure out how to do things a little better and play our best game of the season next week,” Romo said. “We need to get a win next week and get back going.”

The Cowboys have lost six straight Sunday night games. They are 0-3 against the Giants at Cowboys Stadium. Romo also continued his trend of winning in November, then slumping in December.

NOTES: New York RB Ahmad Bradshaw did not start as punishment for breaking an unspecified team rule. He finished with 12 yards on eight carries, all in the second half. … Romo went over 20,000 yards passing for his career, joining Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach and Danny White as the only Cowboys to do so. … Cowboys C Phil Costa sustained a concussion, pushing rookie Kevin Kowalski into action for the first time. His snaps were OK, but he seemed flummoxed early in the final drive.

The Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Eli Manning threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Marion Manningham and the New York Giants had a 22-20 lead over the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys after three quarters on Sunday night.

New York came in with a four-game losing streak, but with a win over Dallas would match the Cowboys for the NFC East lead with three games left. The division rivals play again New Year’s Day at the Meadowlands in the regular-season finale.

The Cowboys lost rookie sensation running back DeMarco Murray because of a fractured right ankle. He got hurt while being tackled at the end of an 8-yard run in the first quarter when his foot got twisted under a defender.

Murray has 897 yards rushing, 111 shy of breaking Tony Dorsett’s team rookie record that has held since 1977. NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith ran for 937 yards as a rookie in 1990.

Manning was 17-of-31 passing for 257 yards through three quarters. The touchdown to Manningham came with 4½ minutes left in the third quarter.

The point differential in the game came when Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was spun around by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and fell in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter.

Pierre-Paul, filling in for injured Osi Umenyiora, also forced a fumble when he stripped Felix Jones just before halftime. That led to a field goal for the Giants.

In addition to Murray, the Cowboys also lot center Phil Costa (concussion) and safety Barry Church (right shoulder) in the game.

Giants linebacker Travis Beckum was out knocked out of the game by a chest injury.

Dan Bailey kicked two 49-yard field goals for the Cowboys, while Romo threw for two touchdowns and surpassed 20,000 career yards passing.

Bailey’s first field goal came with 15 seconds left in the first half for a 17-15 halftime lead. He added another 49-yarder for the only Dallas score in the third quarter.

Dallas had won four in a row before losing 19-13 in overtime a week ago at Arizona, when Bailey missed a 49-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation.

Bailey’s miss came after Cowboys coach Jason Garrett had called timeout just before Bailey had kicked a ball through the uprights for an apparent victory.

Romo was 14-of-20 for 135 yards through three quarters. Jones rushed 13 times for 102 yards.

After going three-and-out on their first drive of the game, the Cowboys started their second possession on their own 8.

On the second play, Pierre-Paul got pressure on Romo, spinning the quarterback around and causing him to fall backward into the end zone.

After the Giants got the ball on the free kick, Manning hit Hakeem Nicks in stride for a 64-yard completion to the Dallas 5. But New York bogged down there and had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes for a 5-0 lead.

Romo became the Cowboys’ fourth 20,000-yard passer with a 12-yard touchdown pass to John Phillips. Romo rolled to his right and then threw a screen to Phillips on the left side for the tight end’s first career touchdown.

The other 20,000-yard passers for the Cowboys are Hall of Fame quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and Danny White.

Romo hasn’t really had any good memories against the Giants in Cowboys Stadium, where New York won the first regular season game played there two years ago. Romo sustained a broken collarbone at home against New York last season and he didn’t play again.