Hakeem Nicks outperformed Victor Cruz on Sunday — and Nicks wasn’t even active.
At least Nicks didn’t cost the Giants points.
Cruz managed just a single reception for 5 yards for the first three-and-a-half quarters, and the end result of that catch was a critical Cowboys touchdown in Dallas’ 24-21 victory at a frigid MetLife Stadium Sunday night.
Battling for extra yards after the short catch, Cruz was stripped by Dallas cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and safety Jeff Heath plucked the loose pigskin out of the air and rumbled 50 yards down the left sideline untouched to the house, giving Dallas an early 7-0 lead it would never relinquish.
“I just can’t let those types of things happen,” Cruz said. “I have to take better care of the football.”
Coughlin, animated on the sideline that an official didn’t blow the play dead, said it was “unbelievable” the play stood. Cruz took a more diplomatic approach.
“It happened a little late, but you can’t change that, can’t change what the refs see, can’t change what the refs call,” said Cruz, who finished with a season-low two catches for 27 yards. “I was trying to fight for every yard, fight for everything. I was trying to maximize my yardage, and the ball comes out.”
Cruz’s turnover set an ominous tone for the Giants’ passing attack, which never took flight, and the Giants failed to reach the end zone on a pair of first-half drives in the red zone. Without an effective Cruz, Eli Manning struggled, completing just 16-of-30 passes for 174 yards.
Rueben Randle did a fine job filling in for Nicks, who missed the game with a strained abdominal muscle. The second-year wideout out of LSU made three catches for 64 yards.
Cruz’s two catches were his fewest in a game since Oct. 28 of last year — also against the Cowboys. The Giants, however, won that game.
Cruz’s performance was surprising, considering he entered the contest among the league leaders in receptions (58) and receiving yards (824), both team highs, and was going up against the 31st-ranked passing defense in the NFL.
From Nicks’ absence creating more double teams to the Giants relying heavily on their ever-improving running game — it produced 202 yards yards — there were many factors in Cruz’s underwhelming performance.
Cruz struggled to get separation throughout, a strength of his since breaking into the league four years ago. He said there were still opportunities to make plays, but Manning was either under duress or looking elsewhere. Scandrick also did a fine job on him, though Cruz said the cornerback contained him by illegal means.
“He just likes to grab and hold, and that’s the majority of things he does play in and play out,” Cruz said. “He always holds on every play. It’s always bordering whether it’s pass interference or holding.”
Whatever Scandrick does worked on Sunday, and it was a key factor in the Cowboys leaving MetLife Stadium victorious.