NFL-Cowboys take advantage of error-prone Giants

Sept 8 (The Sports Xchange) - The New York Giants kept giving Dallas the ball and it was only a matter of time before the Cowboys started doing something of substance with the gifts. Quarterback Tony Romo and the Cowboys took advantage of six turnovers to hold off the Giants 36-31 before 85,348 fans at AT&T Stadium on Sunday- the first win for Dallas in five tries against New York in the Cowboys' $1 billion home. The six turnovers led to 24 Dallas points, 21 coming in the second half. Romo passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jason Witten. Romo left the game late in the first half after getting the wind knocked out of him but returned to start the third quarter. Giants quarterback Eli Manning did his best to overcome the turnovers, which included three interceptions. The two-time Super Bowl winner connected with Victor Cruz for three touchdowns as New York tried to rally down the stretch. The Giants coughed the ball up twice in the third quarter, allowing Dallas to go up 27-10. David Wilson's second fumble -- and New York's fourth turnover -- was returned 27 yards by Barry Church for a touchdown. A muffed punt by Trumaine McBride gave Dallas another golden opportunity at the New York 16. Two plays later, Romo found Witten in the end zone. The Giants answered with an 80-yard march, punctuated by Manning's second touchdown pass to Cruz. They hooked up again in the fourth quarter to get New York within 30-24 with nearly nine minutes left. The Giants had the ball with less than three minutes left, but Manning's third interception was returned 49 yards for a touchdown by Brandon Carr to seal Dallas' win. The Cowboys took a 13-10 lead into the locker room but lost Romo in the final minute of a first half dominated by turnovers. Romo was hit in the midsection on his last pass of the half and had to be helped off the field, but he downplayed the injury in a post-game interview. "I just took a hit and it caught me pretty good and just had to take a little bit of time," he said. "It's just part of playing football. You take some hits sometimes ... No one really cares. That's the truth with people who are banged up in football. "I'm going to be fine. I haven't got any X-rays yet. We'll do all that stuff tomorrow." (Editing by Andrew Both)