IRVING, Texas – The Giants could take the field tonight at Texas Stadium knowing they already have clinched a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
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If the Vikings lose to the Cardinals and the Falcons lose to the Buccaneers, the Giants are assured of finishing no worse than the No. 2 seed in the NFC and would earn a bye. The same holds true if the Vikings lose and the Panthers beat the Broncos. If those scenarios do not happen, the Giants can take care of their own business by beating the Cowboys.
There’s an added benefit out there for the Giants, because with a victory, they put a huge dent in the Cowboys’ postseason plans.
“That will always be nice, to not play any of our divisional opponents in the playoffs,” running back Derrick Ward said.
“No question, a team like that could be dangerous in the playoffs,” added Brandon Jacobs, who will not play because of a left knee injury. “We got to go out and be the team to hopefully put ’em down.”
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The last time the Giants played here they came away with a stunning 21-17 victory in an NFC divisional playoff game, a bitter loss for the top-seeded Cowboys.
“We beat them twice in the regular season and then they beat us,” Tony Romo said. “We don’t hold a grudge or anything like that. We don’t think about revenge.”
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The Giants have just seven sacks in their past five games.
“It’s extremely tough, especially when you don’t see the numbers going up there,” DT Barry Cofield said. “You feel like you beat a guy and another guy comes and hits you from the back. You feel like you have a great rush and a guy like Tony Romo makes you miss. That kind of stuff is very frustrating.
“We talk to each other every day, as much as people talk about us not getting sacks, we talk about it amongst ourselves. We take pride in it and we know if we keep executing the plan, they’ll come.”
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The Cowboys soap opera continues. Terrell Owens and Jason Witten almost got into a locker room altercation Friday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Two sources told the paper the players exchanged words before being separated. This incident comes after other reports stated Owens and the other Dallas receivers felt quarterback Romo favored Witten in games and practices.